FROM  THE  LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 


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FROM     Hi.  LETPER  FILES 
OF  S.  W    ir>H\SON 


tN    YaUC    I 

9xii  x<^  asnutaiq  ^xriia}  5o  Loiftom  'laoitaatq* 
ebfiiu   bn*  90it«-i'5   fli  o^qniVl   bne  sii^irj^aQ 

-D9I9  dihf  jjHjUi  a/jvr  '^q'^iooiioo^G*  feiilT 

a97jiH  W9>I  fi  yd  IC81  io  0<J8I  ai  ,.il>  ,ii<(£tiini8 

^o^jttiodaJ  o^^IloO  ^LbY  odi  ai  n^dqai^o^odq 

— ta8I  I^HMP*  »<I^  ,3(uid^  I  ,ai— 


KKW  HAVEN:   VAT,f 

LONDONt  H 
OXFOKI)  I 


"The  Daguerreotype  process — the  first 
'practical'  method  of  taking  pictures  by  the 
chemical  action  of  light — was  invented  by 
Daguerre  and  Niepce  in  France  and  made 
sensitive  enough  for  taking  human  portraits 
by  Dr.  Draper  of  New  York,  1840. 

This  'Daguerreotype'  was  taken  with  elec- 
tric-arc-light, at  the  instance  of  Professor  B. 
SiUiman,  Jr.,  in  1850  or  1851  by  a  New  Haven 
photographer  in  the  Yale  College  Laboratory 
— in,  I  think,  the  summer  of  1851 — 

S.  W.  Johnson,  Jan.  1897." 


FROM  THE  LETTER-FILES 
OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 


Professor  of  Agricultural  Chbmistry 
IN  Yale  University,    1856-1896 

Director  of  the  Connecticut  Agricultural  Experiment 
Station,    1877-1900 


Edited  by  His  Daughter 
ELIZABETH   A.    OSBORNE 


NEW  HAVEN:  YALE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 

LONDON:  HUMPHREY  MILFORD 

OXFORD  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 

MCMXIII 


copykight,  1918 
By  Yale  University  Press 


First  printed  December,  1000  copies 


3t  A\ 


TO 

THE  BUILDERS  OF  THE  BROAD.  FIRM  HIGHWAYS  THAT 

NOW  CROSS  THE  LONELY  PLACES  WHERE  PROFESSOR 

JOHNSON    TOILED   AND   TO   THE    MAN    WHOSE    WORK 

WAS  THE  JOY  OF  HIS  OLD  AGE 


CQ 

M 


CO 


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6 


235018 


PREFATORY  NOTE 

I  acknowledge  with  gratitude  the  helpful  Mndnesses 
of  many  busy  men.  In  the  preparation  of  the  narra- 
tive supplementing  these  letters  of  my  father  and  his 
friends  I  have  availed  myself  of  material  gathered 
from  the  writings  of  men  of  science  whose  names 
either  figure  in  these  pages  or  are  well  known  to 
present-day  workers  in  our  Agricultural  Colleges  and 
Stations.  In  a  few  instances  I  have  borrowed  not 
only  the  spirit,  but  the  letter  of  their  text — lest  through 
clumsy  transposition  an  expression  should  lose  its 
clearness.  Whenever  possible,  I  have  asked  permis- 
sion for  my  action.  The  cordial  assent  given  in  each 
case  emboldens  me  to  request  the  few  with  whom  I 
have  been  unable  to  communicate  to  accept  my  thanks 
and  this  general  acknowledgment. 

E.  A.  0. 


CONTENTS 


Introduction 1 

Chapteb  I. 

Childhood  and  Education  in  America  ...         6 

Chapter  II. 

Life  and  Study  in  Europe 38 

Chapter  III. 

New  York  State  Agricultural   Society:   The 
University  of  Albany :  Yale  Scientific  School      80 

Chapter  IV. 

Connecticut  State  Agricultural  Society       .      .     104 

Chapter  V. 

Sheffield  Scientific  School : ' '  How  Crops  Grow ' '    132 

Chapter  VI. 

Connecticut  State  Board  of  Agriculture      .     .     162 

Chapter  VII. 

The  Connecticut  Agricultural  Experiment  Sta- 
tion        192 

Chapter  VIII. 

Emeritus 257 

Appendices 269 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

S.  W.  Johnson,  Aged  21     -        -        -        -  Frontispiece 

Bulletin 0pp.  p.  204 

S.  W.  Johnson,  Aged  71     -        -        -        -  0pp.  p.  257 


FROM  THE  LETl^ER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 


INTRODUCTION 

The  newness  of  much  that  seems  to  us  to  have  always 
been  comes  at  times  as  a  surprise,  and  sets  our  minds 
to  work  in  an  effort  to  realize  the  environment  of  our 
immediate  forebears  at  a  time  when  ideas  now  accepted 
as  fundamental  axioms  were  the  glad  tidings  of  a  new 
gospel  of  knowledge  and  truth.  Only  sixty  years  ago, 
a  little  band  of  friends,  born  in  America  and  trained  in 
good  part  in  the  universities  of  Germany,  was  laying 
here  in  the  new  world  the  foundations  of  the  great 
work  in  agricultural  science  which  is  being  carried  on 
today  by  men  born  in  America  and  well  trained  in 
American  universities.  Workers,  their  methods  and 
their  aims  make  up  the  early  history  of  every  branch 
of  human  endeavor.  The  way  in  which  they  opened  up 
the  field  interests  the  workers  of  today.  These  early 
enthusiasts  looked  into  the  future  confident  that  their 
work  was  good  and  that  it  ought  to  be  done;  they 
believed  that  without  chemistry  it  never  could  be  done ; 
they  sought  so  to  raise  the  standards  and  improve  the 
methods  of  chemists  that  a  chemically  demonstrated 
fact  should  stand  unassailable.  They  had  studied 
under  pupils  of  the  men  who  saw  chemistry  evolve 
from  alchemy.  Some  of  them  lived  to  follow  with 
admiration  the  brilliant  achievements  of  such  men  as 
Gibbs,  van  't  Hoff  and  Arrhenius,  which  are  today 
establishing  the  fundamental  principles  of  biochem- 
istry on  which  agricultural  practice  rests. 

From  the  portrait  of  a  painter  looks  out  the  keen 
eye  of  the  artist.    As  one  gazes  into  it  all  the  imper- 


2  LETTEE-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

fection  of  the  man  vanishes,,  only  the  artist  soul 
remains ;  and  in  the  portraits  of  all  who  have  painted 
truly,  it  is  the  same  clear,  beautiful  eye,  the  expression 
of  the  gift  of  imagination.  The  man  who  labors  with 
faith  and  enthusiasm  for  truth  in  science  must  be 
endowed  with  this  gift  of  imagination,  must  look  out 
into  nature  with  the  artist's  eye.  His  success  in  learn- 
ing the  secrets  of  nature  is  in  proportion  to  his  gift 
and  the  use  he  makes  of  it.  Hence  comes  a  paradox. 
The  so-called  materialistic  man  of  science  is  spiritually 
a  painter,  a  poet,  an  evangelist  consecrated  to  the  cause 
of  truth.  Therefore,  he,  too,  is  set  a  little  apart  from 
the  ordinary  way  and  must,  like  the  prophet,  the 
painter  and  the  poet,  take  heed  lest  he  travel  so  far 
ahead  that  those  not  of  his  own  craft  may  fail  to  under- 
stand him  and  his  message. 

Samuel  William  Johnson  was  one  of  that  small 
group  among  the  chemists  of  America  who,  two  gen- 
erations ago,  undertook  to  extend  and  develop  labora- 
tory instruction  in  chemistry  and  to  apply  this  science 
to  the  industries  of  the  country.  Among  these  men, 
most  of  whom  passed  away  before  him,  few  left  a 
greater  impress  on  American  chemistry  or  American 
chemists  than  did  Professor  Johnson.  His  whole  life 
was  devoted  to  training  workers  in  this  field,  to  making 
others  realize  what  chemistry  could  do  for  them,  and 
to  developing  institutions  and  methods  to  extend  the 
knowledge  of  chemistry,  and  make  it  available  to  those 
engaged  in  productive  occupations.  The  results  of  his 
efforts  are  far  better  appreciated  today,  when  the 
returns  are  so  apparent,  than  they  were  during  the 
years  of  his  greatest  activity,  when  he  was  patiently 


INTRODUCTION  3 

struggling  against  the  conservatism  of  so-called  prac- 
tical men,  who  could  only  with  difficulty  be  persuaded 
to  make  the  beginning  which  was  essential  to  demon- 
strate the  truth  he  was  trying  to  teach  them. 

His  was  an  example  of  a  form  of  high  public  service 
which  the  man  of  scientific  training  can  render  to  his 
country  and  humanity.  His  broad,  sure  grasp  of 
chemical  problems  and  his  prophetic  appreciation  of 
the  advantages  to  be  gained  by  the  application  of  the 
science  of  chemistry  to  the  problems  of  agriculture, 
made  him  a  power  in  the  campaign  of  education 
which  finally  brought  about  the  establishment  of  the 
agricultural  experiment  station  as  a  national  institu- 
tion; an  achievement  which  ranks  as  the  most  sub- 
stantial contribution  yet  made  by  the  United  States 
to  applied  science. 

A  scholar,  a  clear  thinker,  a  man  of  discriminating 
mind,  he  had  an  unusual  capacity  for  remembering 
where  and  when  scientific  papers  were  first  published, 
and  was  a  living  index  to  all  things  pertaining  to 
chemical  literature  in  a  day  when  modem  library 
short-cuts  to  knowledge  were  not.  He  possessed  the 
ability  to  discuss  scientific  facts  and  theories  simply 
and  effectively,  and  could  impress  on  untrained  hear- 
ers distinctions  between  facts,  theories  and  working 
hypotheses,  presenting  the  matter  in  hand  with  great 
breadth  of  view  and  winning  followers  for  his  cause 
through  his  own  love  of  his  subject.  From  boyhood 
he  was  a  voluminous  writer  for  the  agricultural  press, 
his  chosen  field  of  missionary  activity.  It  is  interest- 
ing to  note  that  in  one  of  these  earliest  writings  he 
sets  forth  with  clearness  the  need  for  the  agricultural 
experiment  station  in  America.     For  twenty  years 


4         LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

prior  to  the  opening  of  tHe  first  state  experiment 
station  in  this  country,  he — as  chemist  to  the  Con- 
necticut Agricultural  Society  and  to  the  Connecticut 
State  Board  of  Agriculture — was  doing  for  the  com- 
munity the  essential  work  of  an  agricultural  experi- 
ment station,  gaining  by  means  of  his  personal  repu- 
tation the  confidence  of  farmers  and  familiarizing 
them  with  the  worth  and  necessity  of  the  institution 
which  was  soon  to  be  founded  in  Connecticut  through 
his  efforts.  He  gave  them  not  only  results,  but  an 
intelligent  understanding  of  their  application  and 
meaning,  thus  arousing  in  the  early  days  of  this  new 
work  an  interest  which  went  far  towards  making  pos- 
sible its  development  and  spread  to  other  states.  That 
his  work  met  the  requirements  and  established  popular 
confidence  is  a  matter  of  history.  As  teacher,  writer 
and  investigator,  and  as  guiding  hand  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  first  experiment  station.  Professor 
Johnson  wielded  an  influence  exercised  by  few  scien- 
tific men  of  his  time,  and  was  a  potent  factor  in  devel- 
oping thought  and  understanding  along  the  line  of 
the  relations  of  science  to  agriculture.  His  writings 
brought  together  and  gave  form  to  the  isolated  facts 
bearing  upon  that  subject;  continuing  without  inter- 
ruption for  more  than  fifty  years,  they  carried  his 
name  beyond  the  boundaries  of  this  continent.  His 
greatest  work  was  done  before  the  experiment  station 
movement  became  national  and  before  popular  senti- 
ment had  embraced  the  idea  of  a  system  of  institutions 
devoted  to  scientific  work  in  the  interests  of  practical 
agriculture.  His  labors,  his  studies  and  his  public 
utterances  prepared  the  way  for  the  reception  of  this 
idea;  and  the  example  of  usefulness  furnished  by  the 


INTRODUCTION  5 

station  under  his  direction  was  a  powerful  stimulus 
to  its  propagation  and  fruition  in  other  states. 

By  developing  details  of  station  work  and  methods, 
by  establishing  high  standards  of  fair  dealing  both 
with  the  farmer  and  with  those  who  supplied  him,  and 
by  inspiring  all  associated  with  him  mth  high  ideals 
of  scientific  work,  he  did  more  than  any  one  other  man 
to  make  the  experiment  stations  of  the  country  the 
useful  and  successful  institutions  they  are  today. 
In  his  old  age  he  found  himself,  in  the  words  of  a 
friend,  "In  the  rare  and  privileged  position  of  having 
assisted  almost  at  the  sowing  of  the  seed  of  the  science 
of  agricultural  chemistry  and  of  living  to  see  it  grow 
into  a  great,  big  tree." 


CHAPTER  I 
CHILDHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  IN  AMERICA 

Jacob  Johnson  of  Wallingford  was  not  the  first  of 
his  family  in  this  country.  Two  generations  of  his 
forebears  may  be  found  on  the  genealogical  lists ;  but 
to  their  descendants  these  earlier  Johnsons  are  only 
names.  The  tradition  handed  down  by  grandmothers 
and  great-aunts  has  always  begun  "with  Jacob  of  Wal- 
lingford, about  whom  tangible  knowledge  has  survived 
as  one  of  the  "West  Farmers"  of  that  part  of  Walling- 
ford which  is  now  Cheshire,  Connecticut,  where  he 
owned  many  acres  and  reared  many  children,  living 
long  and  respected  in  that  rural  community.  One  of 
his  sons,  Abner,  was  a  merchant,  a  man  of  some  pros- 
perity and  captain  of  the  Wallingford  train-band  at 
the  time  of  the  French  and  Indian  War.  His  son, 
Jacob  Johnson,  married  Esther  Hotchkiss,  of  whose 
wisdom,  sagacity  and  ability  many  tales  are  still 
extant.  When  a  messenger  came  to  summon  her  hus- 
band, who  was  home  on  furlough,  back  to  service  in 
the  Revolutionary  War,  she  hastened  to  the  field  where 
he  was  ploughing,  bade  him  farewell,  lifted  the  reins 
from  his  neck  and,  placing  them  around  her  own, 
called  her  small  son  to  help  her  finish  not  only  the 
furrow  but  the  field.  She  lived  to  a  revered  old  age 
and  saw  four  generations  of  her  descendants.  With 
a  family  of  fourteen  children,  she  had  fair  field  for 
the  use  of  all  her  ''faculty"  and  self-reliance.  Her 
second  daughter,  Amelia,  married  Daniel  Potter,   a 


CHILDHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  7 

man  of  large  means  for  that  day,  who  lived  at  Kings- 
bo  ro'  in  the  then  new  country  of  Northern  New  York 
State.  Gradually  the  rest  of  Jacob  the  second's  family 
came  to  live  near  them  and  her  parents  lie  buried  in 
the  old  cemetery  at  Kingsboro'. 

Being  childless,  Daniel  and  Amelia,  "Uncle  and 
Aunt  Potter,"  as  they  were  called,  brought  up 
and  practically  adopted  her  young  brother,  Abner 
Adolphus,  the  twelfth  of  Jacob  and  Esther  Johnson's 
family.  In  time,  Abner  Adolphus  Johnson  succeeded 
his  brother-in-law,  Daniel  Potter,  as  a  merchant  in 
Kingsboro',  New  York,  where  he  also  kept  the  tavern 
and  o^v^led  and  managed  a  large  farm.  At  the  age  of 
thirty-two  he  married  Annah  Wells  Gilbert,  like  him- 
self descended  from  pure  colonial  stock.  She  had 
been  brought,  when  two  years  old,  to  New  York  State 
by  her  parents,  who  emigrated  with  a  band  of  kins- 
folk and  neighbors  from  Hebron,  Connecticut.  She 
trained  her  family  in  accordance  with  the  best  tradi- 
tions inherited  from  Puritan  ancestors,  teaching  them 
to  value  character  and  to  feel  a  deep  responsibility  for 
the  use  they  made  of  their  time  and  opportunities. 
In  the  names  of  her  eight  children  she  commemorated 
her  own  lines  of  descent — Gilbert,  Wells  and  Brain- 
erd — and  Samuel  Johnson's  name  was  first  given  him 
in  honor  of  his  grandfather,  Judge  Samuel  Gilbert; 
later  in  his  boyhood  the  middle  name  of  William  was 
added  in  remembrance  of  the  many  of  his  father's  kin 
who  had  borne  the  names  of  Samuel  and  of  William. 

Abner  Adolphus  Johnson  lived  in  Ivingsboro'  until 
1834.  Then,  his  wife  not  being  strong  and  he  himself 
suffering  from  nervous  ills  brought  on  by  a  too  seden- 
tary life,  he  retired  from  business  and  went  back  to 


8  LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

the  soil,  investing  his  property  for  the  most  part  in 
farm  lands  in  the  fertile  valley  of  the  Deer  River  in 
Lewis  County,  New  York,  then  recently  opened  for 
settlement.  Here  he  lived  in  patriarchal  manner,  his 
hospitable  roof  covering  not  only  his  large  immediate 
family,  but  nephews  and  nieces,  brothers  and  sisters, 
distant  kinsfolk  and  hired  laborers.  ''Uncle  Abner's 
Mansion"  was  home  to  many,  and  all  were  welcome 
inmates.  This  house  at  Deer  River  was  built  when 
his  third  son,  Samuel,  whose  life-work  is  followed  in 
this  volume,  was  four  years  old;  and  for  thirty  years 
it  was  home  to  an  ever  increasing  family  circle,  united 
by  unusually  strong  bonds  of  mutual  affection.  The 
daily  life  was  simple  and  frugal,  all  were  industrious, 
much  store  was  set  on  things  of  the  spirit;  there  was 
deep  love  of  truth  and  much  seeking  for  broader 
knowledge. 

Educational  opportunities  were  eagerly  embraced; 
we  find  Samuel  Johnson  at  the  age  of  eleven  a  pupil 
in  the  same  classes  with  his  elder  brothers  and  sister 
at  the  Lowville  Academy,  where  for  fully  fifteen  years 
some  one  or  more  of  this  large  family  was  in  attend- 
ance. Lowville,  although  only  a  few  miles  from  home, 
was  too  far  to  go  and  come  daily,  so  the  children 
boarded  there  during  term  time,  returning  in  vacations 
to  Deer  River.  They  were  all  good  students,  and 
Samuel  was  allowed  to  keep  pace  with  the  others  as 
far  as  he  was  able. 

In  1842  Samuel  Johnson  was  a  small,  dark-haired  boy 
whose  eyes,  as  yet  unhelped  by  the  powerful  lenses  he 
used  in  later  years,  gave  him  little  information  about 
objects  more  than  a  few  feet  away.  Any  and  every 
thing  in  print  on  which  he  could  lay  his  hands  he  mas- 


CHILDHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  9 

tered  at  once,  but  his  indifference  to  matters  outside  of 
books  was  the  despair  of  his  family.  The  love  and  sjtii- 
pathy  of  his  elder  sister,  her  comprehension  of  his 
intellectual  needs,  aided  his  development,  and  the 
mutual  devotion  of  their  childhood  endured  for  over 
seventy  years.  In  his  family  as  a  whole  he  was  singu- 
larly blessed.  The  paths  of  learning  into  which  he 
was  irresistibly  attracted  were  strange  and  untried  in 
their  eyes.  It  argues  a  surprising  breadth  of  mind 
on  the  part  of  a  man  of  Mr.  Abner  A.  Johnson's  train- 
ing and  environment  that  he  should  have  finally  con- 
sented, and  after  consenting  consistently  encouraged 
his  son  in  entering  upon  a  life-work  so  novel  and 
untried;  for  in  his  belief  there  were,  except  he  be 
called  to  the  holy  ministry,  just  three  things  safe  and 
profitable  for  a  man  to  engage  in,  law,  medicine  and 
farming.  Our  cities  and  their  complex  activities  were 
lightly  regarded  by  him,  living  in  what  was  then  a 
frontier  country  where  all  necessary  business  was 
carried  on  by  men  whose  main  investments  were  in  the 
soil. 

Before  leaving  school  in  1846,  Samuel  Johnson 
acquired  some  knowledge  of  Latin  and  a  little  Greek, 
more  algebra,  and  as  much  of  physics,  botany  and 
chemistry  as  opportunity  afforded.  In  his  last  year  at 
the  Low^ille  Academy,  chemistry  became  the  absorb- 
ing interest  of  his  mind.  He  gives  this  record  of  the 
first  great  event  in  his  intellectual  life,  written  in  the 
cover  of  an  old  **Fresenius,"  published  in  1844 — 
the  entry  is  dated  February  1905 : 

This  book  came  into  my  possession  fifty-nine  years  ago 
while  I  was  a  student  in  Lowville  Academy,  Lewis  Co., 
Northern  New  York.     I  there  became  fascinated  with  Chem- 


10        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

istry  through  the  brilliantly  illustrated  lectures  of  the  Prin- 
cipal, David  Porter  Mayhew,  who  made  me  his  assistant,  and 
(I  believe)  brought  me  this  volume  from  New  York  City 
where  he  visited  during  his  long  vacations.  In  my  own 
Laboratory  at  Deer  River  I  prepared  most  of  the  pure 
reagents,  and  as  far  as  possible  worked  through  the  qualitative 
courses  described  in  this  excellent  work. 

In  the  winters  of  1846-47  and  1847-48,  Samuel  John- 
son had  charge  of  district  schools  near  his  home.  The 
sixteen-year-old  teacher  learned  quite  as  much  as  did 
his  pupils,  and  the  habit  of  intellectual  self-reliance, 
which  was  a  marked  characteristic  of  his  later  years, 
may  well  have  had  its  beginning  in  the  necessities  of 
his  position  as  a  teacher  of  boys  generally  his  seniors, 
and  nearly  always  his  physical  superiors.  While 
teaching  these  elementary  classes,  he  began  the  lavish 
buying  of  standard  treatises  on  different  branches  of 
science,  which  became  the  habit  of  his  life.  By  nature 
a  student,  he  assimilated  the  contents  of  all  such  addi- 
tions to  his  library  with  thoroughness.  Brought  up 
in  close  association  with  members  of  the  bar  and 
others  who,  as  Justices  of  the  Peace,  were  busily  occu- 
pied with  court  cases  which  today  would  be  placed  in 
the  hands  of  lawyers,  he  unconsciously  adopted  their 
methods  of  thought  and  their  phraseology;  and  from 
infancy  his  tongue  was  trained  in  the  English  of  the 
King  James  Version. 

His  first  appearance  in  print  was  in  August  1847, 
when  he  said,  after  a  discussion  of  the  scientific  point 
which  was  the  occasion  of  the  article:  ''When  the 
spirit  of  inquiry  and  trust  pervades  the  whole  mass  of 
the  agricultural  community,  dissipating  prejudice  and 
willing  ignorance,  then  it  may  be  expected  that  science 


CHILDHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  11 

'will  do  her  perfect  work,'  and  what  perfection  may 
we  not  anticipate  from  enlightened  practice  under  her 
auspices?"  Having  set  himself,  at  this  early  date, 
his  text,  he  preached  from  it  at  every  opportunity 
during  the  next  fifty  years.  The  need  for  conservation 
of  national  resources  was  unconsidered  in  this  coun- 
try in  1847.  We  were,  as  a  people,  newly  arrived  and 
spent  our  riches  lavishly.  A  curious  shortsightedness 
led  those  with  culture  derived  exclusively  through  the 
classical  curriculum  of  colleges  to  confuse  rusticity 
with  vulgarity,  to  regard  the  gas-light  flickering  at 
the  corner  of  a  village  street  rather  than  the  steady 
beams  of  the  stars  seen  over  a  frosted  field,  to  hold 
that  he  who  communed  with  nature  must  inevitably 
wear  muddy  boots  and  fail  to  rise  above  their  con- 
templation. Men  were  crowding  into  towns ;  the  rapid 
multiplication  of  manufactures  and  railroads,  giving 
opportunity  for  the  accumulation  of  wealth,  drew 
away  from  the  farm  the  energetic  and  ambitious 
who  were  too  intent  upon  piling  together  bricks  and 
mortar  to  consider  the  importance  of  increasing  our 
agricultural  resources.  With  the  heedlessness  of 
youth,  the  whole  country  seemed  to  admire  prodigality, 
to  scorn  economy,  foresight  and  thrift.  This  boy  was 
sixty  years  ahead  of  the  popular  appreciation  which 
today  sets  scientific  agriculture  and  scientific  agricul- 
tural education  in  a  place  of  first  importance  as 
economic  necessities  to  our  national  existence. 

In  1848,  Samuel  Johnson  became  the  possessor  of  a 
private  laboratory.  His  father  put  at  his  disposal  a 
building  on  the  place  at  Deer  River  with  the  use  of 
laborers  and  a  carpenter  to  fit  it  up  for  his  purposes, 
caused  running  water  to  be  brought  into  it,  and  gave 


12        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

him  fifty  dollars  for  the  purchase  of  chemicals,  so  that 
he  might  pursue  his  studies  by  himself.  His  invalid 
mother,  to  emphasize  her  interest  in  his  undertaking, 
gave  him,  to  melt  up  for  reagents,  her  wedding  tea- 
spoons, old  and  thin  and  dented  by  the  hard  usage  of 
many  children.  Self-education  in  his  own  laboratory, 
through  unaided  experimentation  and  the  systematic 
use  of  text-books,  developed  confidence  and  the  habit 
of  independent  logical  thought.  He  learned  to  attain 
the  best  possible  methods  of  work  by  rejecting  those 
which  on  thorough  testing  did  not  give  uniformly 
certain  results,  and  to  eliminate  all  conclusions  based 
on  assumption. 

This  private  laboratory  had  been  lovingly  furnished, 
and  his  devotion  to  science  was  approved  as  an  inter- 
est, but  the  whole  family  felt  that  he  should  fit  him- 
self for  some  definite  and  recognized  occupation.  His 
father,  especially,  unconvinced  of  the  likelihood  of  a 
professional  future  for  his  son  in  chemistry,  wished 
him  to  study  for  the  practice  of  law  or  medicine. 
Unwilling  to  abandon  his  own  dream  of  a  purely 
scientific  life-work,  Samuel  Johnson,  in  the  fall  of  1848, 
secured  a  position  as  instructor  in  the  Flushing  Insti- 
tute at  Flushing,  Long  Island,  hoping  to  demonstrate 
that  he  could  support  himself  by  teaching  and  at  the 
same  time  read  and  study  along  scientific  lines. 

The  letter  of  earliest  date  in  the  bundle  which  his 
mother  kept  in  her  little  red  trunk  is  the  following: 

Flushing  Institute,  Dee.  12,  1848. 

Dear  Friends  at  Home — I  have  come  to  a  desperate  con- 
clusion to  spoil  the  beauty  of  this  sheet.  I  am  about  to 
address  a  letter  to  everybody  in  particular  and  nobody  in 


CHILDHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  13 

general  and  vice  versa  if  I  may  be  allowed  the  expression.  I 
will  give  a  history  of  "operations  and  things"  here.  The 
school  numbers  about  70  boys,  no  girls  except  Emily  and  the 
helps  and  they  don't  attend  school.  Old  Ezra  Fairchild,  the 
good  jolly  old  gentleman,  is  Head  Principal.  Beside  him  are 
Mr.  Elias  Fairchild,  Mr.  Bates,  Mr.  Babbit,  Mr.  Raone 
(French  Teacher),  and  MR.  Johnson  as  Instructors.  Mr, 
Johnson,  as  I  wrote  in  my  last,  has  a  salary  of  $20.00  per 
month  in  addition  to  the  comforts  of  a  good  home,  etc.,  etc. — 
Teachers  and  students  all  lodge  and  eat  under  the  same 
roof. —  A  Day 's  Procedure :  At  7  o  'clock  Mr.  Corwin  or  some- 
body else  goes  through  the  halls  ringing  a  huge  bell  that  drums 
sleep  to  California,  and  at  8  o'clock  the  bell  rings  for  Chapel 
when  the  whole  family  collects  in  the  Chapel  and  spends  15 
or  20  minutes  in  religious  exercises,  and  generally  Father 
Ezra  lectures  the  unruly  ones.  .  .  .  This  morning  some  fel- 
lows, gentlemen  if  we  can  judge  from  coat  and  boots,  having 
got  up  late  did  not  present  themselves  in  Chapel,  whereupon 
Mr.  Fairchild  told  them  to  go  back  to  bed  and  stay  all  day. 
(Three  of  them  refused  to  do  so  and  started  off  home  to  New 
York  city,  but  before  night  came  back  and  went  to  bed.) 
Soon  after  Chapel,  breakfast  rings.  ...  I  have  20  students 
under  my  care,  in  an  upper  school  room.  Writing,  Spelling, 
Arithmetic,  Grammar,  Geography,  are  all  the  studies  I  teach 
at  present.  Just  imagine  Sam  Johnson.  .  .  .  One  fine  young 
man  lends  him  a  watch,  since  the  poor  dog  can't  afford  to 
own  one,  and  he  might  keep  the  class  a  fortnight  without  one. 
That's  enough.  Don't  think  any  more  about  "Sam  Johnson," 
or  "Doctor."  There  is  no  such  man  here.  Mr.  Johnson  is 
the  feller.  .  .  . 

Mr.  Johnson  was  most  happily  situated  at  Flushing, 
and  would  have  been  entirely  contented  had  he  not 
had  a  definite  ambition  for  the  future,  to  the  fulfilment 
of  which  he  longed  to  devote  himself.  Teaching  occu- 
pied nearly  all  his  time ;  hours  for  study  were  far  too 


14        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

few.     He  had  decided  once  and  for  all  to  become  a 
chemist.     On  February  24,  1849,  he  wrote  home: 

Dear  Father. —  .  .  .  If  I  stay  here  it  will  undoubtedly  be 
with  a  salary  higher  than  at  present.  .  .  .  As  to  California, 
I  think  it  may  do  for  those  who  desire  to  grasp  emptiness  in 
the  midst  of  confusion,  and  when  I  am  caught  going  thither, 
I  am  found  stepping  on  my  own  ears. 

It  is  not  one  of  the  most  encouraging  thoughts  to  entertain, 
that  many  years  must  elapse  before  I  can  acquire  the  educa- 
tion that  I  need  to  begin  life  with.  To  become  a  chemist 
requires  not  only  intense  and  laborious  application  to  study, 
but  the  expenditure  of  a  great  deal  of  time  and  a  not  incon- 
siderable amount  of  money.  How  difficult  then  to  accomplish 
the  required  labor  when  so  much  time  is  necessarily  devoted 
to  earning  the  means  for  supporting  expenses.  And  when  I 
behold  myself  outstripped  by  others  simply  because  they  have 
means,  I  am  strongly  tempted  to  repine  at  the  partiality  of 
fortune,  but  when  I  read  the  achievements  of  Davy,  Faraday, 
Scheele,  Klaproth,  Liebig,  Berzelius  and  a  host  of  others  who 
have  elevated  themselves  from  poverty  to  the  highest  stations 
and  shed  a  halo  of  glory  upon  their  own  names  and  the  age 
that  produced  them,  by  their  zealous,  self-denying  struggles 
after  truth,  how  am  I  encouraged  to  tread  cheerfully  the  path 
of  science,  though  alone  and  exposed  to  the  sneers  of  the 
vulgar  and  ignorant — ^yes,  and  toil  on  through  the  obstacles 
that  impede  my  progress  undaunted  and  persevering, — hoping 
for  a  good  time  in  the  future.  What  shall  be  my  future 
course  I  hardly  know.  If  I  remain  here  I  shall  carry  on  my 
studies  and  practice  as  far  as  possible,  but  I  cannot  do  much, 
"When  I  have  accumulated  a  few  hundred  dollars,  I  will  take 
a  course  of  instruction  in  Yale  College  Laboratory,  but  until 
then  how  long !  But  my  soul  gather  thee  for  the  conflict,  for 
the  toil,  since  great  is  the  reward.  Enough  said,  therefore  I — 
but  I  came  near  forgetting  the  stockings,  shirts,  etc.  and  of 
these  I  can  only  say  as  long  as  I  have  money  I  shall  want 


CHILDHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  15 

neither —    Respects  to  all  the  folks,  while  I  remain,  Affec- 
tionately, the  same  old  sixpence,  S.  W.  Johnson. 

In  "Analyses  of  Limestone,"  published  April  1849, 
Mr.  Johnson  makes  for  the  first  time  his  plea,  after- 
wards often  reiterated,  that  scientific  workers  should 
''reason  and  labor  \vithout  prejudice"  rather  than 
allow  their  results  and  methods  to  be  controlled  by 
the  ''reputation  of  some  prominent  individuals."  He 
states : 

It  becomes,  therefore,  the  interest  as  well  as  the  duty  of 
him  who  would  bring  science  to  the  aid  of  agriculture,  to 
make  every  labor  as  complete  as  possible,  and  especially  to 
avoid  the  dogmatic  introduction  or  support  of  untested 
theories  and  that  narrowminded  ignorance  which  entertains 
the  possibility  of  making  any  one  discovery  which  shall 
remedy  the  failings  of  the  present  practice. 

He  then  continues: 

Much  is  to  be  hoped  from  the  labors  of  scientific  men,  con- 
ducive to  the  interests  of  agriculture.  The  farmer  has  to  deal 
with  nature;  to  follow  intelligently  his  business  supposes  a 
knowledge  of  her  laws.  These  laws  are  the  professed  object 
of  the  chemist's  inquiry,  and  hence  follows, — what  experience 
has  a  thousand  times  established, — the  ability  of  the  chemist 
to  fashion  his  practice  so  as  best  to  assist  and  imitate  nature, 
and  consequently  to  gain  from  her  the  greatest  amount  of 
benefit. 

Farmers'  sons  must  be  instructed  in  Natural  Science.  The 
mind  is  the  great  instrument  and  this  mind  must  be  culti- 
vated. All  are  familiar  with  the  difference  between  the  crab- 
apple  and  the  beautiful,  grateful  fruit  that  yearly  adorns 
our  orchards;  no  less  difference  is  there  between  the  mind 
native  and  cultivated.    There  is  no  better  means  of  a  speedy 


16        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

and  harmonious  development  of  intellectual,  physical  and 
moral  powers  than  the  study  of  nature.  Do  our  great  chem- 
ists, geologists,  etc.,  fall  behind  mathematicians  and  classical 
scholars  in  mental  acumen  or  profundity?  They  certainly 
occupy  a  greater  rank  in  view  of  the  utility  of  their  labors. 
The  natural  sciences  offer  this  decided  advantage  over  every 
other  study  to  the  young  farmer,  that  they  are  of  direct 
application  to  the  daily  concerns  of  his  life.  Let  him  then 
be  more  concerned  to  know  the  nomenclature  of  chemistry 
than  the  Greek  alphabet.  Let  him  study  Liebig  before  Virgil, 
and  Boussingault  before  Horace.  Not  that  I  would  cast  any 
reproach  on  the  study  of  the  classics,  but  I  would  have  edu- 
cation adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  educated.  Every  farmer 
should  be  thoroughly  acquainted  with  chemistry,  botany, 
zoology,  etc.,  as  affecting  the  principles  of  his  art.  Not  that 
every  farmer  should  be  a  chemist, — that  would  be  impossible — 
but  many  possessed  of  natural  tact  might  render  themselves 
sufficiently  expert  in  analysis  to  materially  benefit  their  busi- 
ness without  interfering  with  it.  The  schools  of  practical 
chemistry  that  are  springing  up  in  our  midst  should  be  well 
supported  by  our  farming  community. 

The  reason  why  so  few  young  men  of  talent  and  intellectual 
promise  are  found  engaged  in  cultivating  the  soil  is  that 
agricultural  pursuits,  as  commonly  practised  and  understood, 
offer  no  gratification  to  the  mind.  The  proper  application  of 
science  to  husbandry  will  remove  this  evil,  and  so  soon  as 
provisions  are  made  for  the  education  of  farmers,  equal  to 
those  now  furnished  for  physicians  and  lawyers,  we  shall 
behold  the  intellectual  as  well  as  the  physical  energies  of  our 
country  devoted  to  the  perfection  of  agricultural  processes. 
.  .  .  "Blessed  are  ye  that  sow  beside  all  waters,  that  send 
forth  thither  the  feet  of  the  ox  and  the  ass." — Isaiah. 

Having  spent  the  spring  vacation  at  home,  Mr. 
Johnson  wrote  on  his  return  to  Flushing,  on  May  8, 
1849: 


CHILDHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  17 

Dear  Father, — I  left  Lowville  Thursday  morning  at  8 
o'clock  and  staged  it  to  Rome  where  I  arrived  at  3  o'clock 
P.M.  At  9  we  left  in  cars  and  reached  Albany  at  3  o'clock 
A.M.  Friday  I  breakfasted  for  the  sake  of  my  baggage  at 
Stanwix  Hall,  and  at  7  o'c  was  sailing  off  in  the  steamer 
Confidence.  She  was  the  only  boat  running  that  day,  and 
sang  up  to  the  tune  of  $1.50  for  passage.  I  had  a  very  pleas- 
ant ride  down  the  river.  My  eye  was  greeted  with  lots  of 
green  things,  many  willows  and  also  fruit  trees  were  in 
blossom.  When  we  started  it  rained  a  little,  and  a  rather 
strong  south  wind  made  it  unpleasant  to  look  about,  but  when 
we  got  dowTi  40  or  50  miles  it  became  much  milder,  the  sun 
shone,  and  I  mounted  myself  upon  the  capstan  on  the  prow 
of  the  boat,  and  heartily  enjoyed  the  magnificent  scenery 
which  I  was  enabled  to  appreciate  to  some  extent  intelligently 
by  aid  of  a  small  book  I  purchased,  entitled  "Wilson's  Illus- 
trated Guide  to  the  Hudson  River, ' '  which  gave  a  map  of  the 
river  and  notices  of  the  important  towns,  etc.  At  5  P.M.  we 
reached  the  dock  in  New  York,  and  I  rode  down  to  Fulton 
Market  Slip  to  take  the  Flushing  boat,  but  in  the  midst  of 
a  squabble  with  a  parcel  of  negroes  about  my  baggage  and 
pay,  the  boat  sailed,  and  I  wheeled  up  to  Lovejoy's  Hotel  to 
pass  the  night.  Lovejoy's  is  a  huge  building  in  Park  Row 
just  opposite  the  Astor  House,  and  is  carried  on  in  just  the 
style  to  suit  me.  They  charge  .50  cts.  for  lodging,  and  a 
person  may  take  meals  or  not  as  he  chooses,  and  no  questions 
asked.  The  Refectory  is  in  the  basement  where  a  person  may 
at  any  time  of  day  call  for  what  he  wants,  and  is  carried  on 
as  if  it  were  a  separate  concern.  A  good  meal  of  ham  and 
eggs,  enough  for  any  man,  for  .25  cts.  Sat.  I  ran  about  the 
city,  visited  the  Nat.  Academy  of  Design,  a  glorious  collection 
of  paintings,  and  the  American  Museum,  and  at  1/2  past  4 
sailed  for  Flushing  where  I  was  literally  recv'd  with  open 
arms  by  Uncle  Ezra  and  the  rest.  The  teachers  are  all 
back,  and  now — Tuesday,  11  O'c  A.M. — 25  students.  Many 
more  are  expected  all  through  the  week.  .  .  .  Please  send 


18        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

the    Northern   Journal    EVERY    WEEK    and    write    soon. 
Obediently,  S.  W.  Johnson. 

His  loving  interest  in  the  education  of  four  little 
sisters  is  shown  in  a  letter  of  even  date  to  his  sister, 
Esther,  then  ten  years  old.  ''The  Doctor"  was  his 
own  nickname  in  the  family,  ''the  Judge"  and  "the 
Squire"  were  respectively  two  elder  brothers,  grown 
men  at  this  time. 

I  mail  with  this  note  a  small,  but  very  useful  and  I  think  it 
will  prove  to  you  a  very  interesting,  book  "First  Lessons  in 
Botany ' '  by  Alphonso  Wood,  Master  of  Arts.  I  hope  you  and 
the  rest  of  the  little  sisters  are  all  quite  well  and  enjoying 
what  little  spring  Deer  River  can  afford.  The  school  is  get- 
ting very  well  filled,  and  in  a  few  days  I  shall  teach  classes  in 
Chemistry,  Botany,  Nat.  Philosophy  and  perhaps  Astronomy. 

You  will  doubtless  feel  disposed  to  study  your  little  Botany 
immediately,  and  since  I  am  ''the  Doctor,"  and  therefore 
am  understood  to  know  science,  you  will  receive  from  me  a 
little  advice  as  kindly  as  it  is  offered.  Now  in  the  first  place 
sit  down  and  count  the  cost.  Botany  is  not  a  very  easy  study, 
and  it  will  try  your  patience  no  doubt  to  some  extent,  but  just 
resolutely  make  up  your  mind  to  acquire  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  it,  and  then  study  hard  to  accomplish  the  good  pur- 
pose. You  cannot  perhaps  study  and  recite  it  in  school, 
because  your  teacher  has  not  probably  an  acquaintance  with 
the  science,  but  if  she  has  you  can  commence  business  at 
once, — and  so  you  can  at  any  rate,  but  it  will  be  hard  work 
I  fear,  nevertheless  you  can  do  it  and  now  for  the  plan.  Get 
up  at  4  o'clock  (going  to  bed  at  8  o'clock),  or  as  e^rly  as  any 
one  in  the  family,  get  dressed,  then  wash,  etc.  Do  all  this  in 
a  lively,  sprightly  manner,  assist  in  whatever  household  duties 
may  fall  to  your  lot,  until  5  o'clock,  then  Ma  must  allow  you 
an  hour  to  study  Botany.  Take  up  the  Book  and  read  the 
title  page.    It  is  only  "First  Lessons,"  and  since  there  [is]  a 


CHILDHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  19 

great  deal  more  to  know  about  Botany  than  this  little  volume 
contains,  you  must  be  very  diligent  to  learn  all  there  is  in  it 
so  that  you  can  go  on  with  larger  works.  Then  read  the 
beautiful  extract  from  Dr.  Darlington  on  next  page,  go  on 
with  suggestions  to  teachers.  Then  directions  for  pronun- 
ciation, the  Judge  will  explain  by  reference  to  some  terms  in 
the  body  of  the  book  the  use  of  accents.  Then  learn  thor- 
oughly the  Greek  and  Latin  numerals.  You  cannot  go  a  step 
without  this  knowledge.  This  well  done,  read  carefully  over 
the  Abbreviations  and  Signs,  so  that  you  may  always  know 
where  to  look  for  them.  Lesson  1st.  then  may  occupy  your 
attention.  Let  it  not  pass  until  you  know  it  perfecfly,  and 
can  readily  answer  every  question.  Whenever  any  part  of 
a  plant  is  instanced  in  the  book  you  must  refer  to  the  figure 
and,  if  possible,  procure  a  corresponding  specimen.  For 
example,  to  illustrate  Fig.  2,  page  14,  plant  a  hean  or  cucum- 
ber seed,  and  when  it  comes  up  dig  it  and  carefully  examine 
its  parts,  and  associate  with  the  appearance  of  its  parts  their 
names;  thus  the  commission  of  the  many  terms  to  memory 
is  greatly  aided.  Learn  accurately  the  difference  between 
terms  nearly  similar,  as  Hirsute,  Scabious,  Tomentose  and  so 
on.  And  be  very  careful,  I  repeat  it,  to  find  nature  and  see 
the  part  or  peculiarity  described.  Thus  in  illustration  of 
fig.  7,  page  15,  procure  a  leaf  of  the  choke  cherry  and  notice 
upon  the  petiole  or  stem  of  the  leaf  2  or  3  little  hairs  with 
glands  on  the  top.  Lesson  1st  learned,  less.  2d  may  be  taken 
up.  Now  always  look  well  to  the  heading  of  a  chapter. 
Classification  introduced,  think  what  classification  means,  and 
then  note  that  the  lesson  treats  of  grand  divisions,  that  is  the 
largest  divisions  that  can  be  made.  Fig.  9  represents  the 
wake  robin  or  beth  root.  Have  the  plant  before  you  when  you 
study.  You  can  use  my  Botany  Box  to  collect.  Shorten  the 
string  so  you  can  carry  it  well.  As  you  go  on  with  the  various 
divisions  of  leaves,  roots,  flowers,  etc.,  get  as  many  of  each 
class  as  possible  to  examine,  and  the  labor  of  retaining  so 


20        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

many  names  will  be  comparatively  slight.  To  aid  you  some- 
what I  have  written  in  the  Book  examples  of  plants  you  know, 
to  which  you  can  refer  when  you  are  unacquainted  with  the 
plant  the  book  mentions.  After  a  little  practice  you  will  get 
along  well  enough.  You  must  not  be  in  too  great  a  hurry  to 
get  along,  but  get  everything  thoroughly  as  you  go  along.  It 
may  be  hard  and  seem  tough,  but  we  must  work  to  grow 
strong.  And  if  you  labor  through  this  and  get  it  perfectly, 
you  can  answer  questions  that  perhaps  no  other  person  in 
Lewis  Co.  may  be  able  to  do. 

You  will  have  so  improved  as  to  be  able  to  take  up  other 
studies,  as  Chemistry,  Astronomy,  etc.  etc.,  and  learn  them 
with  tolerable  ease  and  will  find  your  perseverance  and 
patience  drawn  out  to  a  wonderful  extent,  so  that  you  will 
be  less  vexed  with  even  the  common  cares  of  life.  When  you 
have  finished  this  Book  it  will  [he]  my  care  to  provide  you 
with  [a]  larger. 

In  June,  he  writes  to  quiet  the  anxiety  of  the  family, 
as  voiced  by  his  elder  sister,  Sarah,  over  the  prevalence 
of  cholera  in  New  York.  Evidently  he  has  been  more 
concerned  with  his  own  plans  for  the  future  than  with 
rumors  of  epidemics : 

Dear  Father, — I  recv'd  Sarah's  letter  Sat.  night  and  now 
return  an  answer  concerning  Cholera,  etc.  There  have  been 
no  well  characterized  cases  in  Flushing.  We  have  no  alarm 
upon  the  subject.  The  school  goes  on  as  usual,  only  about  60 
students.  I  like  things  in  general,  and  enjoy  myself  much 
better  than  I  did  last  winter.  I  teach  an  excellent  class  in 
Chemistry,  and  shall  soon  commence  giving  instruction  in 
practical  Chemistry,  or  Blowpipe  Manipulation,  to  three  smart 
young  men.  I  wrote  some  time  since  to  Prof.  Horsford  of 
Cambridge  University  for  information  respecting  the  expenses 
of  studying  with  him.    They  are  as  follows  per  annum. 


CHILDHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  21 

Tuition  and  supplies     .      .  $200. 

Board 100. 

Washing 10. 

Room  rent 30. 

Lecture  fees 20. 

Clothing,  et  ceteras       .      .  40. 


$400. 


The  Professor  stated  that  several  young  men  were  working 
through  their  course,  supported  by  money  borrowed  on  life 
insurance,  and  thought  they  would  succeed  well —  And  hav- 
ing reflected  upon  the  su])ject,  I  am  becoming  more  and  more 
anxious  to  go  to  Cambridge  next  fall.  The  Prof,  thinks  that 
if  I  could  arrange  to  stay  there  a  year  some  means  would  offer 
for  self-support.  Although  I  am  doing  pretty  well,  and  well 
enough  had  I  no  education  yet  to  accjuire,  yet  I  think  that 
one  or  two  years '  study  at  Cambridge  would  enable  me  to  earn 
$3.00  where  I  now  earn  one.  I  have  almost  reached  the  age 
of  19,  and  feel  that  I  must  soon  begin  in  earnest  if  I  would 
make  myself  master  of  the  science  that  is  every  year  almost 
doubling  its  extent.  If  at  the  age  of  21  I  be  a  good  analyst, 
I  shall  undoubtedly  be  able  to  make  my  living  and  pay  off 
debts  contracted  in  getting  education.  Dominie  Tyler  was 
$900  in  debt  when  he  left  college,  and  I  hardly  know  a  col- 
legiate that  has  not  gone  through  his  coui*se  upon  more  or 
less  borrowed  money.  I  hate  the  idea  of  contracting  debt,  yet 
the  idea  of  it  furnishing  me  with  increased  capacity  for 
accjuiring  pecuniary  means  is  encouraging;  on  the  whole, 
could  I  do  it  legally  and  were  I  left  to  my  own  discretion,  I 
should  borrow  $300.  and  go  to  Cambridge  next  Oct.  The  idea 
of  being  so  much  longer  ignorant  of  what  I  have  so  long 
desired  is  "hope  deferred  that  maketh  the  heart  sick."  The 
expenses  are  so  great  that  I  cannot  hope  to  go  with  less  than 
$300.  besides  that  which  1  have  earned.    What  does  Pa  tiiink? 


22    .    LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

.  .  .  Love  to  all  the  folks,  and  thanks  to  Sarah  for  her  letter. 
I  remain,  affect 'ly,  S.  W.  Johnson. 

Quiet  consideration  of  the  relative  opportunities 
offered  by  Harvard  and  Yale  led  him  to  go,  in  October, 
to  New  Haven  to  look  over  the  ground  there.  A  per- 
sonal interview  with  Professor  Norton  settled  his 
future  course  clear  in  his  mind,  and  he  at  once  com- 
municated his  decision  to  his  father: 

I  write  from  the  classic  shades  of  old  Yale.  The  ' '  City  of 
Elms"  is  at  present  my  stopping  place.  I  left  Flushing 
Wednesday  at  2  o'c.  P.M.  and,  thanks  to  Robert  Fulton  and 
the  paddles  of  the  splendid  steamer  "Connecticut,"  at  9  o'c. 
P.M.  I  was  set  down  in  New  Haven.  I  soon  found  my  old 
friend  C.  Storrs,  from  whose  room  in  North  College  I  am  now 
writing.  I  shall  probably  return  to  Flushing  tomorrow.  My 
session  of  5  months  is  closed.  We  have  no  regular  vacation, 
but  the  departure  of  many  of  the  students  at  this  the  regular 
time  of  departure  leaves  us  without  a  very  pressing  amount 
of  business,  and  so  I  have  taken  a  short  respite.  My  present 
idea  is  to  return  to  Flushing  and  remain  two  months,  until 
Dec.  6th,  and  then  take  up  my  residence  in  New  Haven.  I 
have  visited  the  Analytical  Laboratory  which  is  hardly  a 
stone's  east  from  my  pen's  point,  have  seen  and  conversed 
with  Prof.  J.  P.  Norton.  .  .  .  He  is  a  fine  specimen  of  a  pol- 
ished, real  live  Yankee  (I  should  judge),  very  plain,  unpre- 
tending, and  possesses  a  "quantum  sufficit"  of  common  sense. 
The  encouragements  he  holds  out  to  me  are  of  the  most  flat- 
tering kind.  The  success  of  his  enterprise,  the  "Chemical 
School,"  is  beyond  that  of  the  Cambridge  establishment,  and 
since  expenses  of  living  are  so  much  cheaper  here  than  there 
I  am  decided  that  this  is  the  place.  In  answer  to  my  inquiries 
concerning  the  support  a  chemist  could  command,  he  said 
that  there  were  two  situations  to  one  man  already,  that  he 
had  applications  now  that  he  could  not  fill  and  had  been 


CHILDHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  23 

obliged  to  send  away  young  men  to  fill  places  before  he  wished 
to ;  that  is,  before  they  had  fully  completed  their  course.  He 
thinks  there  is  no  risk  in  getting  lucrative  employment,  espe- 
cially as  Professors  and  Teachers  of  Agricultural  Chemistry. 
My  expenses  here  would  be  about  $350  or  $400.  And  here  let 
me  say  a  few  words  as  to  the  funds  I  have  at  disposal.  The 
wages  for  my  winter's  work  were  $80.   for  my  summer's 

$150.  =  $230.    Where  is  it?    Oh  where  is  it?  where? ? 

I  have  given  about  $20.  in  obedience  to  the  golden  rule,  to 
whom  I  may  not  say.  I  believe  it  was  well  given.  My  journey 
home  cost  about  $10.  My  return  cost  me  nothing.  A  watch 
cost  $12.  I  have  procured  clothes  to  the  amt.  of  $15.,  $30  or 
more  has  gone  for  books, — all  good  serviceable  necessary 
hooks.  My  present  expedition  consumes  with  the  utmost 
economy — shilling  dinners  at  restaurants,  $10,  A  dozen 
excursions  to  New  York,  etc.,  have  cost  as  many  dollars. 
Sightseeing,  all  laudable  for  I  don't  give  money  without  get- 
ting its  worth,  has  taken  more.  I  have  improved  my  leisure 
hours  with  chemical  study  and  experiments — this  has  used 
money — and  I  have  only  about  $100.  left.  Two  months  more 
wiU  swell  the  amount  to  $150.  This  will  keep  me  in  Yale 
6  mo.,  then  I  can  look  out  for  ways  and  means  to  raise  more. 
My  bodily  appetites  I  can  control,  so  that  I  have  only  one 
passion  that  is  a  well  ridden  hobby  horse  that  consumes  money 
without  control,  and  that  is  a  love  of  books,  or  what  is  in  them. 
When  I  get  to  Flushing  I  shall  expect  a  letter  from  home  and 
a  Northern  Journal. — 

This  ''Chemical  School"  of  Professor  J.  P.  Norton 
at  Yale  was  the  immediate  outgrowth  of  the  private 
laboratory  of  Professor  B.  Silliman,  Jr.,  who,  previous 
to  his  appointment  in  1846  as  "University  Professor  of 
Chemistry  and  the  Kindred  Sciences  as  Applied  to 
the  Arts"  in  Yale  College,  had  received  private  pupils 
in  chemistry — among  them  John  Pitkin  Norton.     At 


24        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

the  opening  of  the  college  year  of  1847-48,  Yale  College 
gave  recognition  to  the  movement  for  scientific  edu- 
cation by  appointing  a  committee  of  the  corporation 
to  take  into  consideration  the  establishment  of  a 
'^Department  of  Philosophy  and  the  Arts,"  which 
should  continue  under  official  sanction  opportunities 
for  extra-curriculum  study  heretofore  afforded  only 
as  the  personal  undertaking  of  certain  professors.* 
Prominent  wdth  Professor  B.  Silliman,  Jr.,  in  this 
movement  was  Professor  John  Pitkin  Norton;  and 
their  '' School  of  Applied  Chemistry,"  or  ''Analytical 
Laboratory,"  as  it  was  familiarly  called  to  distin- 
guish it  from  the  "Chemical  Laboratory"  of  the  elder 
Professor  Silliman,  was  opened  in  1847  in  the  old 
"President's  House"  on  the  College  Campus,  becom- 
ing a  part  of  the  new  Department  of  Philosophy  and 
the  Arts.  It  began  as  a  technical  school  of  chemistry, 
it  has  developed  into  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School, 
whose  undergraduate  courses  have  in  late  years  so 
rapidly  increased  in  number.     Its  status  at  that  time 


*  In  the  autumn  of  1847  the  catalogue  of  Yale  College  stated  under 
the  heading,  "Department  of  Philosophy  and  the  Arts": — "Profes- 
sor Silliman,  Jr.,  will  instruct  in  Elementary  and  Analytical  Chemistry, 
Mineralogy  and  Metallurgy.  Professor  Norton  will  instruct  in  the  appli- 
cations of  science  to  Agriculture  and  in  Analytical  Chemistry."  Under 
the  subheading,  "School  of  Applied  Chemistry,"  it  continued: — "Profes- 
sors Silliman  and  Norton  have  opened  a  Laboratory  on  the  College  grounds, 
in  connection  with  their  departments,  for  the  purpose  of  practical  instruc- 
tion in  the  application  of  science  to  the  arts  and  agriculture.  Every 
facility  will  be  afforded  to  those  who  desire  to  obtain  special  instruction 
in  general  and  analytical  Chemistry  and  in  Mineralogy.  A  course  of 
lectures  on  the  connections  of  science  with  agriculture,  by  Professor 
Norton,  will  commence  in  January  and  continue  about  two  months,  at 
the  rate  of  about  four  lectures  in  each  week.  Professor  Silliman,  Jr., 
will  deliver  during  the  summer  a  course  of  lectures  upon  some  other 
department  of  applied  Chemistry. ' ' 


CHILDHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  25 

is  well  described  in  a  memoir  of  Professor  B.  Silli- 
man,  Jr.,  written  by  Professor  Arthur  W.  Wright: 
"Although  the  School  had  been  thus  formally  recog- 
nized and  had  attained  to  an  established  position,  it 
received  little  other  encouragement  and  no  substantial 
aid  from  the  college.  .  .  .  The  cost  of  fitting  up  and 
equipping  the  Laboratory,  and  of  providing  appara- 
tus, cabinets  and  library,  was  furnished  from  the  pri- 
vate means  of  the  two  professors,  who  received  no 
salaries  from  the  college  and  even  for  two  years  paid 
a  rent  for  the  use  of  the  building." 

In  1849,  B.  Silliman,  Jr.,  became  professor  of  medi- 
cal chemistry  and  toxicology  in  the  Medical  School 
of  the  University  of  Louisville.  During  the  five  years 
he  retained  this  position  he  spent  each  winter  there, 
thus  leaving  Norton  alone  in  the  duties  and  respon- 
sibilities of  the  Analytical  Laboratory  for  a  part  of 
each  college  year.  Professor  Norton  was  a  forceful 
and  untiring  worker,  of  marked  ability  as  a  writer 
and  lecturer,  who  gave  much  time  to  the  cause  of 
scientific  agricultural  education,  speaking  before  agri- 
cultural societies,  and  writing  constantly  upon  scien- 
tific topics  for  the  better  agricultural  journals.  He 
was  a  practical  agriculturist  as  well  as  a  trained 
scholar,  who  saw  his  duty  to  lie  in  work  for  the  coun- 
try at  large  quite  as  much  as  within  the  walls  of  the 
laboratory  where  he  was  training  others  who  should 
later  succeed  him. 

In  January  1850,  Mr.  Johnson  went  to  New  Haven, 
relying  for  support  upon  his  modest  savings.  This 
year  was  an  eventful  one  for  him.  The  classes  were 
small  and  he  was  thrown  in  close  personal  contact 
with  Professor  Norton,  whose  stimulating  and  broad- 


26        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

ening  influence  hastened  his  intellectual  expansion. 
By  the  end  of  the  year  he  had  definitely  decided  that 
he  would  follow  Professor  Norton's  advice  and  go  to 
Germany  for  further  study,  especially  under  Liebig, 
who  had  been  the  first  to  offer  laboratory  instruction 
in  chemistry  and  who  ranked  at  that  time  as  the  great- 
est master  of  agricultural  chemistry  in  the  world. 
How  to  carry  this  plan  into  effect  was  a  serious  ques- 
tion. Mr.  Johnson's  father  would  have  helped  him 
most  willingly  to  an  education  in  the  law  or  in  medi- 
cine, but  was  not  inclined  to  aid  in  the  way  he  wished. 
The  subject  was  debated  from  both  sides  in  the  family 
letters.    On  July  10,  1850,  Mr.  Johnson  wrote : 

Dear  Pa  and  Sarah, — The  4th  brought  me  Pa's  answer  to 
my  first  two  letters  and  last  night  the  letter  containing  the 
$20.00  safe — I  was  not  particularly  shocked  at  the  thought 
I  could  not  prosecute  my  studies  next  Autumn  and  Winter, 
although  I  had  set  my  heart  upon  it.  Even  if  I  could  do  no 
more  for  6  mo.  or  a  yr.  at  chem. — if  I  had  better  engage  in 
earning  means — still  I  regret  losing  the  opportunity  of  get- 
ting a  balance  with  so  little  trouble  and  $30.00  cheaper  than 
I  can  after  this  term.  Prof.  Silliman  jr.  will  not  be  here  for 
at  least  a  year  and  a  half  after  he  leaves  in  Oct.  He  spends 
the  winter  in  Louisville  and  in  the  spring  he  visits  Europe, 
with  his  Father.  The  balance  costs  $60.,  the  freight  etc.,  about 
$10. — $20.  according  to  circumstances.  If  I  could  send  soon 
it  would  probably  not  cost  more  than  $68.  as  it  would  be 
freighted  with  other  articles.  With  a  Balance  on  hand  next 
spring  I  could  work  to  advantage  at  home,  after  doing  some- 
thing next  fall  and  next  winter  to  raise  ' '  the  rocks ' ' — if  some- 
body would  chuck  $75.  in  my  pocket  next  Oct.  I  would  order. 
But !  '  *  'tis  as  'tis  and  can 't  be  much  'tisser. ' '  My  last  chance 
must  slide — let  it  go  easy. — As  ever,  very  sonily,       Samuel. 


CHILDHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  27 

The  advocacy  of  his  sister  Sarah  and  opportunities 
during  the  summer  vacation  to  talk  the  matter  over 
face  to  face,  led  to  a  modification  of  Mr.  Abner  A. 
Johnson's  views.  In  October,  Samuel,  as  indicated  in 
the  following  letter,  was  in  receipt  of  an  allowance 
from  his  father  and  was  again  at  work  in  the  Yale 
Analytical  Laboratory. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  A.  A.  J.) 

— 'Tis  in  vain!  What  eloquence  can  fitly  introduce  the 
subject?  How  can  I  make  it  pleasant.  I  resign  myself  to 
Fate  and  Destiny,  /  write  for  money!  What!  the  boy! 
He  had  enough  he  said.  He  promised  to  economize.  Why 
does  he  want  more  ? — Softly — Earth  is  trial  ground,  none  are 
secure  from  misfortune.  On  my  return  here  my  India 
Rubbers  were  gone,  couldn't  be  found,  none  knew  of  them. 
I  left  them  in  my  room.  They  were  doubtless  carried  off  by 
mistake,  ($1.50).  I  thought  to  let  the  matter  rest,  and  shed 
no  tears  for  the  scows  wherein  I  was  wont  to  navigate  the  wet 
and  slush  of  New  Haven  Winter,  But  this  was  not  all.  I 
labored  industriously  at  my  business.  Poor  unfortunate! 
A  vessel  whose  thickness  could  not  be  measured  broke  from 
the  weight  of  its  contents.  A  cascade  of  corrosive  acid  went 
over  my  breeches  and  boots,  they  were  saved,  the  boots  per- 
ished. My  neiv  boots,  my  only.  They  have  now  "no  music  in 
their  sole"  and  the  uppers  have  "give  out,"  (To  replace 
them  here  $4.00  or  less.)  My  room  which  I  engaged  last 
term  was  very  comfortable  and  small.  A  friend  from  Flush- 
ing Inst.,  a  nice  young  man — Ezequiel  Uricoechea  of  Bogota, 
New  Granada,  S.  A. — at  my  instance  enters  this  depart- 
ment one  week  hence.  An  opportunity  presented  for  ex- 
changing my  room  for  one  that  would  hold  us  both,  furnished 
with  a  nice  new  carpet  worth  $16.00,  my  half  $8.00.  My  old 
rent  was  $24.00,  my  present  (1/2  the  whole)  $12  1/2—1  thus 
save  11.00  rent  and  pay  8.00  for  carpet — $3.00  is  thus  saved 


28        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

from  one  yrs.  expenses.  I  had  to  supply  a  stove  and  a  lamp,  I 
now  supply  but  1/2,  $5.00  more  gain  at  least  for  1  yr.  The 
exchange  gives  me  a  carpet  and  $8.00,  I  have  not  hesitated 
to  make  the  exchange,  although  a  little  money  is  required  now 
instead  of  by  and  by.  I  am  owing  E.  U.  $7.14.  I  need  a  pair 
of  boots.  My  old  cap  will  last  until  I  go  to  Wallingford,  then 
I  ought  to  have  a  new  one.  No!  I  shall  need  none.  I  can't 
afford  to  visit  next  vacation,  it  will  do.  What  has  become  of 
the  $50.00?  I  have  the  list  of  expenses,  it  is  long  or  I  could 
transcribe  it.  Only  one  or  two  items  I  regret,  live  and  learn. 
I  have  a  few  dollars  left, — $4.00.  I  hear  not  Prof.  Silliman's 
lectures,  they  cost  $12.50.  I  take  an  instructor  in  German,  it 
costs  $5.00.  I  buy  no  candy  except  cough  candy,  and  I  rejoice 
to  have  no  occasion  for  it.  I  do  the  best  I  can,  considering  my 
frailties.  I  strive  to  overcome  them.  I  guess  $10.00  will  keep 
me  the  rest  of  the  term — 

After  replying  to  the  preceding  appeal,  Ms  father 
wrote : 

Deer  River,  27th  Novr.  1850. 

Dear  Samuel, — Yours  dated  28th  Ult.  was  received  asking 
for  $10.  I  wrote  and  enclosed  $15. — that  you  might  get  a 
cap  and  visit  cousin  Gilbert  at  Wallingford  next  vacation — 
but  have  received  no  answer  as  yet,  whether  you  received  the 
letter  or  not.  You  either  have  not  received  it,  or  have  for- 
gotten the  charge  given  you  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of 
money  as  soon  as  may  be  after  the  receipt  of  it.  I  write  now 
to  learn  whether  or  not  the  above  has  been  received.  I 
directed  the  letter  to  S.  W.  Johnson,  Chemical  Department, 
Yale  College,  New  Haven. 

Write  the  time  and  amount  you  need  to  pay  up  for  this 
term.  I  think  you  calculate  $125.  That  amount  is  in  readi- 
ness when  needed,  will  buy  a  draft  as  before.  You  are  daily 
remembered  by 

Your  affectionate  father. 


CHILDHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  29 

The  problem  of  ways  and  means  for  European 
study  was  constantly  in  Mr.  Johnson's  thoughts.  On 
December  16,  1850,  he  asks  the  family's  advice: 

Dear  Father, — Immediately  upon  the  reception  of  your  last 
(that  I  have  received)  letter  (Nov.  27th),  I  wrote  home 
acknowledging  the  former  rec'pt  of  $15.,  and  stating  that  I 
should  probably  want  $130.  more.  Sarah's  letter  has  been 
recev'd  and  shall  be  answered  soon.  I  shall  be  an  assistant 
here  next  term,  and  thus  my  expenses  will  be  diminished 
$200.  per  annum.  Prof.  Norton  thinks  the  best  thing  I  can 
do  for  my  mastery  of  the  Science  and  for  my  future  success, 
is  to  go  to  Europe  next  summer  and  study  there  two 
years.  He  says  the  expense  will  be  $1500.  How  to  get  the 
money  I  know  only  one  way,  and  that  is  to  borrow  it  as  Prof. 
Horsford  did,  getting  a  life-insurance  policy  as  security  in 
event  of  death.  If  some  of  my  rich  friends  would  lend  me 
the  money,  giving  me  5  yrs.  to  pay  it  in,  I  would  take  the 
responsibility  of  the  debt.  I  should  be  more  than  $1500  worth 
better  [able]  to  fill  such  a  station  as  I  look  to,  and  could  as  a 
consequence  command  a  better  situation.  A  fellow  student, 
son  of  a  wealthy  Hartford  Gentleman,  with  whom  I  have  been 
on  the  best  of  terms  since  I  came  here,  will  go  to  Europe  next 
summer  if  I  will.  I  wish  the  opinion  of  the  folks.  I  shall 
rejoice  if  Heaven  makes  my  path  across  the  great  waters  to 
the  great  European  shrines  of  science,  and  if  I  must  stay, — 
'tis  His  will  who  doeth  all  things  well.  Praying  that  God  may 
strengthen  me  in  a  new  life  of  obedience  to  Him  and  bring 
us  all  an  unbroken  family  around  His  throne, — I  subscribe 
myself,  your  affectionate  son,  Samuel. 

In  May  he  wrote  in  a  similar  strain,  saying: 

College  is  "in  full  tide  of  successful  operation."  I  am 
busily  occupied  in  the  Laboratory  and  with  the  study  of 
German.    I  attend  Prof.  Thacher's  class,  4  days  in  the  week. 


30        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

He  continued: 

— I  had  an  invitation  from  my  friend  Mr.  Bunce  of  Hart- 
ford (who  stays  at  home  this  summer  but  intends  to  return 
to  the  Lab.  next  term)  to  visit  him  last  vacation.  His  father 
was  anxious  to  make  my  acquaintance  as  I  am  to  be  his  son's 
companion  in  Europe  !  Am  I,  or  am  I  not  ?  $2000  separates 
me  from  Europe  besides  3000  miles.  I  can  borrow  any  quan- 
tity of  money  at  the  savings  bank  here,  at  6  pr.  ct.  interest,  on 
the  strength  of  three  responsible  endorsers.  I  can  secure,  by 
a  life  insurance  for  $2000,  costing  about  $30  per  annum,  my 
endorsers  in  case  of  death,  but  can  I  get  anybody  to  endorse 
while  I  am  expected  to  live  ?  If  some  of  my  rich  friends  want 
to  invest  money,  here  is  a  chance.  I  am  more  and  more  con- 
vinced that  a  European  education  is  necessary  to  put  me  in 
the  front  rank  where  I  want  to  serve.  I  don't  fear  but  that 
I  can  pay  the  debt  in  two  or  three  years  after  my  return,  if 
health  and  strength  are  permitted.  I  have  no  doubt  that,  with 
such  an  education  in  my  profession  as  I  shall  then  possess,  I 
may  do  my  share  of  duty  in  life,  and  assist  in  bringing  up  to 
honorable  and  useful  womanhood  the  sisters  who  may  before 
many  years  be  consigned — parentless — to  their  brothers '  care. 
May  Heaven  long  delay  the  time  of  their  orphanage ! — 

In  June,  Mr.  Johnson  suddenly  postponed  all  prep- 
arations for  going  abroad,  owing  to  a  most  unexpected 
opportunity  for  earning  what  was  at  that  day  a  hand- 
some salary.    Concerning  this,  he  w^rote : 

Dear  Father, — This  letter  has  a  secret  which  it  will  be  best 
not  to  tell  anyone  of  except  mother. 

Prof.  Norton  has  had  offered  him,  in  addition  to  other 
employment  at  Albany,  the  Professorship  of  Chemistry  and 
Natural  Philosophy  in  the  State  Normal  School.  He  does 
not  wish  to  accept,  and  intends  recommending  me  to  the  post, 
and  says  he  has  no  doubt  I  may  obtain  it.  The  work  is  5 
hours  a  day,  commences  in  Sept,  5  days  per  week  during  the 


CHILDHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  31 

two  terms  of  20  weeks  or  thereabouts.  The  pay  is  $800.  (eight 
hundred  dollars)  somethin' !  Now  I  may  receive  a  letter  from 
them  requesting  me  to  come  up  there  and  give  them  a  sight 
of  me,  and  I  may  be  accepted  and  may  not.  Since  I  may  not, 
it  is  best  that  nobody  know  it.  If  I  receive  the  appointment 
there,  it  may  be  told  of.  Now  if  I  go  to  Albany  I  shall  want 
my  wardrobe  replenished  somewhat.  I  shall  be  obliged  to 
give  up,  in  part,  ray  economical  student  habits,  and  walk  in 
the  first  rank  of  society ! — and  I  shall  want  some  money,  and 
if  I  can  make  a  good  impression  it  will  be  almost  the  last  time, 
I  hope,  I  shall  trouble  my  very  kind  and  good  Father  for 
money.  I  shall  consequently  relinquish  for  the  present  the 
idea  of  going  to  Europe,  and  if  I  obtain  the  situation  shall 
give  myself  to  its  duties.  My  expenses  for  the  term  will  be 
for  board,  rent  and  washing  about  $45.  To  Albany  including 
outfit,  and  I  have  scarcely  anything  fit  to  wear  on  such  an  oc- 
casion— I  shall  have  to  buy  a  hat — a  Panama  is  most  durable, 
I  think  $2.50,  coat  4  or  5,  pants  3  or  4,  shoes  3.00,  hdkfs.  etc., 
call  the  outfit  $15.  I  hardly  dare  undertake  the  journey  with 
less  than  $10.,  though  in  my  student  way  of  doing  things  $5 
would  be  amply  sufficient.  Then  at  the  close  of  term  I  must 
go  home.  I  may  have  to  stop  at  Albany  for  some  business  or 
other  there,  so  here  goes  for  $15.    Thus  it  stands — 

Term  expenses  due  27th  of  July,  $45.00 

Outfit  and  money  to  Albany — wanted  soon    25.00 
Money  home — wanted  27th  July,  15.00 


$85.00 


I  hope  not  to  be  obliged  to  use  all  this,  but  want  enough  in 
every  contingency.  If  I  should  not  get  the  situation  it  would 
be  rather  bad,  but  the  prospect  is  so  fair  I  had  better  try  for  it, 
had  I  not  ?  If  I  should  get  the  situation  I  would  not  exchange 
it  for  any  place  in  the  country — for — The  University  of 
Albany  is  going  into  operation  next  winter,  and  will  in  time 


32        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

gather  more  or  less  permanently  there  the  best  scientific  men 
of  our  country.  Agassiz,  Norton,  Hall,  Mitchell,  Gibbs,  Whit- 
ney, Guyot,  Pearce,  etc.  What  a  place !  If  I  succeed  I  will 
tell  more.    My  love  to  all.    Affectionately,  Samuel  W.  Johnson. 

A  few  days  later  lie  wrote  from  Albany: 

Dear  Folks, — No  secret !  I  have  just  returned  from  lobby- 
ing about  the  State  officials  and  am  "Professor  of  Chemistry, 
Nat.  Philosophy  and  the  Principles  of  Agriculture"  elect  in 
the  State  Normal  School.  I  have  not  accepted  the  situation, 
and  delay  to  do  so  until  I  hear  from  home,  as  I  had  not  rec'd 
an  answer  to  my  former  letter  when  I  left  N.  H.  yesterday 
at  1  o'clock.  I  have  been  introduced  to  Prof.  Perkins  and 
the  Normal  School  Corps,  to  Hon.  Christopher  Morgan,  Sec'y 
of  State,  Dr.  T.  T.  Beck,  Dr.  Campbell,  Mr.  Hawley  and 
another  gentleman  who  (the  last  five)  form  the  Executive 
Com.  of  the  Normal  School.  I  have  also  visited  Mr.  Tucker 
of  the  Cultivator.  Had  an  introduction  through  Hon.  S.  H. 
Johnson,  to  A.  B.  Street  the  Poet.  Seen  Hon.  C.  Lyon,  etc. 
S.  H.  J.  is  staying  at  the  "Stannix"  where  I  now  write.  He 
is  much  worn  by  the  extra  session  of  Legislature.  They 
adjourn  tonight  probably.  I  return  to  New  York  tonight 
and  N.  H.  tomorrow.  My  salary  is  $800.  and  I  have  a  $12. 
check  for  my  expenses  hither  and  back  to  N.  H.  Write  at  the 
earliest  mail  as  the  Committee  are  anxious  to  know  my 
decision.     In  haste,     Affectionately,  S.  W.  Johnson. 

His  plans  for  the  summer  were  given  in  the  next 
letter : 

Yale,  July  12th,  1851. 

Dear  Father, — I  have  just  returned  from  Albany  and 
found  Pa's  letter  of  the  5th  in  the  box  of  P.  0.  next  to  mine, 
where  it  has  been  for  nearly  a  week  I  have  no  doubt.  There 
was  a  change  of  boxes  the  1st  of  July  which  may  account  for 


CHILDHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  33 

this  delay.  It  contains  $90.  safe.  You  have  before  this  rec'd 
my  letter  dated  at  Albany,  containing  the  news  of  my  election 
to  the  situation  at  the  Normal  School. 

I  must  now  work  hard  until  the  close  of  the  term  to  finish 
some  investigations  which  I  wish  to  present  to  the  "Am. 
Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science ' '  at  its  next  meet- 
ing at  Albany,  August  18th,  1851.  I  may  be  accompanied  by 
one  or  two  young  scientific  friends  when  I  go  home,  who  intend 
to  visit  the  mineral  localities  North.  They  will  not  stay  long 
at  Deer  River.    Affectionately,  Samuel. 

Study  and  commercial  analytical  work  had  kept 
Mr.  Johnson's  time  well  filled  during  the  eighteen 
months  spent  in  New  Haven.  His  only  publications 
in  this  period  were  one  scientific  paper  upon  the  dis- 
covery of  sulphuret  of  nickel  in  Northern  New  York 
and  an  educational  article,  setting  forth  a  plan  for  a 
"County  Agricultural  Institute"  designed  to  under- 
take work  similar  to  that  now  done  by  the  State 
Experiment  Stations.  This  latter  was  published  in 
the  Albany  Cultivator,  which,  established  in  1833  as 
the  organ  of  the  New  York  State  Agricultural  Society, 
at  this  date  was  owned  and  edited  by  Luther  Tucker, 
who  had  brought  the  old  journal  up  to  a  high  standard 
of  literary  excellence,  Eben  N.  Horsford,  John  Pitkin 
Norton  and  Donald  G.  Mitchell  being  among  its 
contributors. 

Mr.  Johnson  passed  the  school  year  of  1851-52  in 
Albany,  teaching  natural  sciences  in  the  New  York 
State  Nonnal  School.  Here,  as  always  when  he 
had  mature  and  earnest  pupils,  he  was  an  inspiring 
teacher,  and  won  friendship  and  admiration  for  him- 
self through  his  teaching.  No  home  letters  covering 
these  months  are  in  existence.     It  is  not  far  from 


34        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Albany  to  Deer  Eiver,  probably  visits  were  frequent 
and  letters  few.  We  know  that  he  made  friends, 
enjoyed  the  broader  opportunities  of  cultured  society 
which  his  position  opened  to  him,  and  did  good  work 
in  the  classroom. 

Professor  Norton's  courses  of  lectures  on  the  con- 
nection of  science  with  agriculture,  delivered  at  New 
Haven  and  at  Albany  in  the  winter  of  1851-52, 
attracted  attention,  following  as  they  did  so  closely 
upon  the  publication  of  his  book,  '  *  Elements  of  Scien- 
tific Agriculture,"  which,  as  the  ''Prize  Essay"  of 
the  New  York  Agricultural  Society,  had  made  his 
name  familiar  to  a  large  constituency;  and  the  School 
of  Applied  Chemistry  at  Yale  had  through  his  efforts 
attained  to  such  a  position  that  announcement  was 
made  that  ''Students  who  enter  this  department  may 
hereafter  have  in  view  a  degree  to  be  given  when  they 
have  completed  a  certain  course  of  study."  His 
broad  conception  of  professional  obligation  to  the 
cause  of  scientific  education  led  Norton  also  to  join 
with  earnestness  in  the  movement  for  the  establish- 
ment at  Albany  under  State  patronage  of  a  university 
in  which  agriculture  and  its  connected  sciences  should 
have  a  prominent  place.  This  double  duty — for  he 
kept  up  his  work  at  New  Haven,  traveling  twice  a 
week  between  the  two  cities,  and  lecturing  three  times, 
in  each — proved  too  much  for  his  strength.  After  a 
vain  trip  south  in  search  of  health,  he  died  in  October 
1852,  at  his  father's  house  at  Farmington,  Connecticut. 
The  sudden  ending  of  his  life  brought  sadness  to  the 
colleagues  and  pupils  who  loved  him,  and  proved  a 
heavy  blow  to  the  two  struggling  institutions  for  the 
success  of  which  he  had  been  energetically  working. 


CHILDHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  35 

Although  he  died  at  the  early  age  of  thirty,  he  had 
exerted  so  strong  an  influence  that  his  work  continued 
after  him  in  the  lives  and  labors  of  those  who  were 
called  to  take  up  the  duties  which  he  laid  down. 

In  letters  written  to  Mr.  Johnson  in  January  and 
in  May  1852,  Mr.  William  J.  Craw,  then  assistant  in 
applied  chemistry  in  the  Yale  Analytical  Laboratory, 
gave  the  following  account  of  the  laboratory  and  their 
mutual  friends  there: 

If  the  sorrow  of  your  friends  can  be  a  pleasure  to  you,  you 
can  have  that  pleasure  in  the  assurance  that  you  have  been 
very  much  missed  in  the  Laboratory.  .  .  .  There  are  quite  a 
number  of  regulars  in  the  Lab.  already,  and  we  expect  a  con- 
siderable force  of  volunteers  from  the  Senior  class ;  and  Prof. 
Norton  lectures.  ...  I  presume  you  heard  all  about  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Philosophy  which  is  to  be  given  next 
summer,  but  lest  you  hear  not,  I  will  say  a  few  words  on  the 
subject.  The  requirements  are — to  be  connected  two  years 
with  the  College,  and  to  pass  satisfactory  examinations  on 
the  three  branches  of  which  French  or  German  must  be  one. 
There  will  be  quite  a  number  of  the  ''old  Lab."  candidates, 
and  if  you  should  decide  to  be  one  of  us,  need  I  say  that  you 
will  be  met  with  a  hearty  welcome?  .  .  .  The  Laboratory  is 
getting  along  pretty  well,  though  the  number  of  students  is 
small  at  present.  We  expect  an  accession  of  six  or  eight  from 
the  Senior  class  in  two  or  three  weeks,  or  as  soon  as  they  have 
finished  their  examination.  Prof.  Norton  has  not  yet  returned 
from  the  south,  though  he  is  expected  to  come  very  soon.  .  .  . 
Brush  is  now  here  in  New  Haven,  studying  up  in  preparation 
for  examination  at  commencement,  as  he  intends  to  join  the 
"Bachelor  of  Philosophy"  class  this  year.  Brewer  is  coming 
on  the  1st  of  July  and  will  probably  join  it  also.  So  you  see 
that  we  are  likely  to  have  quite  a  strong  force  and  a  good 
jolly  set  of  fellows  in  the  bargain.     I  wish  you  could  be  with 


36        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

us  also  at  that  time.  But  I  suppose  your  aspiring  spirit  will 
be  satisfied  with  nothing  less  than  the  Ph.  D.  from  some 
German  University. — 

Profitable  as  the  experience  gained  during  this 
winter  in  Albany  was,  Mr.  Johnson  regarded  it  only 
as  an  inevitable  delay  in  his  real  work  in  life.  In  the 
autumn  of  1852  he  returned  to  the  Yale  Analytical 
Laboratory  to  finish  his  preparation  for  foreign  study. 
He  cooked  his  food  in  his  room,  embraced  every  oppor- 
tunity to  earn  or  save  money  towards  his  European 
expenses,  and  studied  hard  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of 
the  German  language,  which  he  realized  was  essential 
to  future  success  in  his  profession.  Two  letters  to  his 
father,  written  in  January  and  in  March  1853,  give  a 
vivid  description  of  his  occupations  and  ambitions  at 
this  time: 

I  am  full  of  business,  so  much  so  that  I  can  hardly  find 
time  to  write  letters. — I  always,  however,  find  time  to  write 
when  I  want  money,  which  is  the  case  just  now.  Instead  of 
hiring  a  furnished  room  which  I  had  thought  of  doing,  I 
furnished  one  at  an  outlay  of  nearly  $20.  for  bed  and  other 
furniture,  and  consequently  have  that  sum  less  than  I  should 
otherwise  have  had  for  present  use.  I  board  myself  at  about 
$1.50  per  week.  Wood  and  light  cost  high,  wood  $8.00  per 
cord  and  some  cold  weather  now  uses  it  up  fast.  I  shall  make 
ends  meet  in  the  spring,  but  shall  be  saved  much  trouble  if 
Pa  will  forward  me  $10.  which  I  will  repay  when  I  am  able. 
Prof.  Porter  has  given  me  opportunity  to  make  analyses  for 
him  for  which  he  remits  me  2  months'  laboratory  charges. 
.  .  .  Yours  of  a  week  or  two  since  came  to  hand  enclosing 
X  dollars.  It  was  all  very  acceptable,  although  I  was  in  no 
pressing  need.  I  have  long  had  by  heart  the  lesson  that  it  is 
hard  for  a  poor  fellow  like  me  to  acquire  an  expensive  educa- 


CHILDHOOD  AND  EDUCATION  37 

tion,  and  although  the  sky  is  often  dark  with  disappointments, 
no  matter,  I  am.  used  to  it.  I  must  go  to  Europe  before  I  can 
think  of  engaging  in  any  business,  if  it  be  possible.  What 
I  shall  do  the  next  summer,  I  don't  know.  Notwithstanding 
my  greatly  improved  health,  I  am  not  in  working  mood  more 
than  half  the  time.  But  the  object  I  have  steadily  pursued 
for  8  years  can 't  be  yielded  now,  I  am  bound  to  put  it  through. 
Being  obliged  to  look  out  for  funds,  I  am  distracted  and  hin- 
dered in  my  studies  so  that  I  have  not  accomplished  half  so 
much  this  winter  as  I  might  have  done  had  I  "the  rocks," 
but  there's  a  good  time  coming,  I  believe,  and  I  am  going  on 
to  meet  it. — 


235018 


CHAPTER  II 
LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUROPE 


For  five  years  the  father  had  been  quietly  watching 
and  testing  his  son.  Very  soon  after  receiving  the 
letter  just  quoted  he  decided  to  give  him  an  amount 
equal  in  value  to  the  farm  already  given  to  each  older 
brother  on  the  attainment  of  his  majority.  With  this 
to  rely  on,  Mr.  Johnson  started  at  once  for  Germany. 
He  went  first  to  Leipsic  where  he  worked  in  Erdmann's 
laboratory  at  pure  chemistry,  studied  German,  made 
acquaintances  and  friends,  and  gradually  gained  a 
sympathetic  insight  into  German  family  and  social  life. 
The  diary,  kept  from  the  time  he  left  New  York  until 
he  arrived  at  Munich  the  following  year,  and  family 
letters  furnish  a  picture  of  his  student  life  abroad. 
His  last  letter  before  sailing  in  May  1853,  is  addressed 
to  his  sister  Sarah.  In  it  he  mentions  having  sent  to 
her  husband  his  *'3d  of  Exchange"  and  describes  the 
delays  attending  the  ship's  departure: 

— The  Good  Ship  New  World  with  all  her  cargo,  crew  and 
passengers  lies  at  anchor  now  in  New  York  Bay,  just  inside 
Sandy  Hook.  We  left  Peck  Slip,  foot  of  Beekman  Street,  at 
1  o'clock  P.M.  We  were  towed  out  by  a  steamboat  to  our 
present  anchorage,  about  18  miles  from  N.  Y.  city.  We  have 
a  fair  wind  tonight,  but  the  crew  is  too  drunk  to  warrant 
proceeding,  by  morning,  however,  the  liquor  will  all  be  gone 
and  we  then  expect  to  get  under  weigh  for  England  if  the 
wind  is  favorable.    The  night  is  calm  and  starry,  the  old  ship 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUKOPE  39 

lies  almost  motionless,  and  we  expect  a  good  night's  rest. 
When  we  shall  get  another,  I  can't  say.  I  am  tired  enough 
to  do  else  than  write,  but  improve  the  last  opportunity  to  send 
by  the  pilot  a  letter  home  to  the  friends  I've  left  behind. 
There  are  twelve  cabin  passengers.  The  Captain's  wife  is 
aboard.  There  are  40  sailors  and  hands  and  50  2d  cabin  and 
steerage  passengers.  Mr.  J.  T.  Norton  identified  me  at  the 
Metropolitan  Bank.  I  procured  a  Bill  of  Exchange  for  50 
Pounds  sterling  of  Brown  Brothers  and  Co.,  59  Wall  Street, 
for  which  I  paid  $243.89,  the  rest  of  my  funds  is  in  Am.  Gold, 
by  advice  of  Mr.  Brown.  I  procured  a  Passport  at  the  Custom 
House.  I  enclosed  to  J.  C.  E.  my  3d  of  Exchange,  reserving 
2  copies  for  myself.  Pa  will  please  take  charge  of  it.  It  needs 
no  endorsement,  as  Mr.  Brown  told  me.  I  left  my  trunk  at 
Taylor's  Hotel,  containing  my  daguerreotype  which  is  some- 
what damaged,  and  '  *  Memorials  of  Prof.  J.  P.  Norton, ' '  given 
me  by  his  Father. — Wednesday  A.M. — Fine  clear  morning. 
We  are  getting  under  weigh,  and  have  every  prospect  of  get- 
ting outside  the  Hook  in  an  hour  or  so.  The  sailors  make  a 
lot  of  music,  and  of  a  rather  pleasing  character. 

Among  Mr.  Johnson's  fellow  passengers  were  Pro- 
fessor Noah  Porter,  afterward  President  of  Yale  Uni- 
versity, Mrs.  Porter  and  Mr.  E,  Norton  of  Farmington, 
Connecticut,  a  brother  of  Professor  J.  P.  Norton.  Mr. 
Mason  C.  Weld,  who  had  been  a  student  of  scientific 
agriculture  under  Professor  Norton  from  1848  to  1853, 
accompanied  Mr.  Johnson  from  New  York  and  was  his 
roommate  during  the  whole  of  his  stay  in  Germany. 

Mr.  Johnson  wrote  from  Liverpool  on  June  1 : 

— We  arrived  here  Monday  May  30th,  later  than  we  antici- 
pated on  account  of  losing  our  wind.  Yesterday  the  whole 
party  of  the  New  World's  cabin,  except  one,  went  together 
to  St.  James'  Park,  and  witnessed  part  of  a  cricket  match. 


40        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

In  the  eve.  we  went  to  the  Zoological  Gardens  and  saw  animals, 
pantomimes  and  fireworks.  Today  we  all  go  to  Chester  to 
visit  the  celebrated  antiquities  there.  Thence  Weld  and  I 
go  to  London  tomorrow,  the  rest  of  the  Party  go  elsewhere. 
We  are  in  excellent  health  and  spirits.  Weld  and  I  are  stop- 
ping at  the  Waterloo  House,  a  fine  English  hotel,  and  we  do 
justice  to  all  the  comforts,  eating  and  sleeping  with  a  ven- 
geance. I  have  written  so  much  for  the  Northern  Journal 
that  I  may  be  excused  for  doing  so  little  in  this.  If  I  had 
plenty  of  money,  Merry  England  would  keep  me  for  a  few 
weeks,  but  one  gets  pretty  well  bled  here,  and  we  can't  stay. 
Goodbye  till  a  week  or  two,  when  I  get  in  Germany  I  will 
give  my  address  so  that  letters  will  reach  me. — Don't  com- 
plain because  I  have  not  written  about  every  thing! — 

(From  a  diary) 

Thursday  June  2d,  1853.  Took  2d  class  train  for  London. 
Stopped  an  hour  in  Crewe — got  breakfast  in  a  cottage. 
Arrived  at  London  at  7  o  'clock.  Drove  to  Sam 's  coffee  house, 
302  Strand. 

Friday  June  3d.  Walked  out  in  morning  to  St.  James' 
Palace,  Green  Park,  Hyde  Park,  etc.  Called  on  Dr.  Darby, 
thence  went  to  museum  of  Economic  Geology.  Saw  Mr.  Price 
who  gave  us  letters  to  Dr.  Hoffman.  Looked  over  their  cabi- 
nets and  went  home.  Called  at  Mr.  Way's  laboratory,  found 
Mr.  Ogsten,  Way  being  on  the  cont.  Had  a  chat  and  went 
home. 

Sat.  Went  to  Royal  College  of  Chem.  Dr.  Hoffman  turned 
us  over  to  Mr.  Morley  who  showed  us  through  the  rooms. 
Went  to  Way's  as  stated  by  mistake  in  paragraph  above. 
Called  again  on  Dr.  Darby,  left  sugar.  Visited  Zoological 
Gardens  and  thus  finished  the  day. 

Sunday  June  5.  Went  to  Westminster  Abbey  and  heard 
service. 

Monday  June  6.     Called  at  the  American  Legation,  saw 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUROPE  41 

Mr.  Ingersoll  and  Mr.  Cram,  had  passports  vised,  went  to 
Lee's  and  left  directions  for  binding.  Visited  British  Museum. 
"Went  to  302  Strand  and  napped  while  Weld  went  to  St. 
Paul's.  Got  dinner,  and  went  to  Cavendish  Square  to  attend 
meeting  of  Chemical  Soc.    Met  Price  there. 

Tuesday  June  7.  In  morning  visited  Tower.  Saw  the 
Armory  and  Jewel  Room.  "Walked  through  the  Thames 
Tunnel.  Crossed  London  Bridge  to  the  Station  of  the  S.  E. 
R.  R.  Dined,  spent  afternoon  in  Hyde  Park,  Kensington 
Gardens,  etc.    Had  a  look  at  and  into  St.  Paul's. 

Wednesday  June  8.  Exchanged  money.  Settled  accounts. 
"Wrote  home.  Squared  up  all  around  and  left  London  at  6 
P.M.  by  S.  E.  R.  R.  for  Dover,  with  through  tickets  2d  class 
for  Coin.  Arrived  at  Dover  at  9  P.M.  Looked  about  a  little, 
embarked  at  11  P.M.  for  Ostend  on  a  Belgian  Steamer.  Spent 
the  night  miserable  in  her  cabin. 

Thursday  June  9.  Arrived  at  Ostend  very  early  and  in  a 
fog.  Had  no  difficulty  with  the  Custom  House,  got  break- 
fast and  a  commissaire,  got  rid  of  ' '  viel  geld. ' '  Took  an  early 
train  to  Ghent.  Riding  to  Ghent  found  that  2d  class  tickets 
were  not  available  thence  to  Coin.  "Were  obliged  to  purchase 
3d  class  tickets  in  addition,  and  then  were  allowed  to  take  1st 
class  cars  and  go  ahead.  Had  sufficient  to  admire  in  the 
scenery  of  some  parts  of  the  route  (vide  Murray).  Had  pass- 
ports vised  at  Aachen.  Arrived  in  Coin  in  good  time,  got 
baggage  through  the  Customs  and  drove  to  the  Germanischen 
Hof — found  an  English-talking  landlord  and  got  good 
accommodations. 

Friday  June  10.  In  morning  took  a  look  with  a  commis- 
saire around  and  through  the  famous  old  city  of  Cologne. 
At  11  A.M.  left  by  R.  R.  with  tickets  for  Paderbom  (vide 
Murray  for  remembrances  of  route).  Arrived  at  Paderbom 
in  fair  time  to  book  for  "Warburg  by  Schnellpost.  Drove  to 
the  "White  Swan — had  supper  and  a  jolly  good  time,  and  at 
near  midnight  drove  off  in  a  diligence. 


42        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Saturday  June  11.  Snoozing  and  waking  arrived  at  War- 
burg in  the  early  morning.  Took  R.  R.  for  Cassel,  meeting  a 
Conducteur  who  spoke  English,  a  jolly  good  fellow  who  took 
us  to  the  '  *  Konig  von  Preussen, ' '  got  us  diligence  tickets  etc. 
to  Gottingen,  whither  we  posted  at  10  o'clock  after  looking  a 
little  at  Cassel.  Arrived  at  Gottingen  at  4  o'clock.  Found 
the  "Krone"  and  High  Worthy  Herr  Rettman,  who  toasted 
on  champagne  and  got  off  ''true  pain  to  sham  friends" — 
took  us  around  to  the  fellows'  rooms.  Found  none  but  Wil- 
liams at  the  Gardener's  House.  Coming  into  town  found 
Weyman  and  Uricoechea,  had  a  jolly  good  time  until  bedtime. 

Sunday  June  12.  Went  to  Reformed  Kirche  and  in  P.M. 
to  gardens. 

Monday  June  13.  Hospiteered  on  Dr.  Waltershausen. 
Saw  Hof .  Woehler  and  the  Laboratory. 

Tuesday.  Hospiteered  on  Hof  rath  Woehler.  Rode  out  to 
the  Plesse  in  the  afternoon. 

Wednesday  June  15.  Made  our  partings  and  left  for  Cassel 
at  4  P.M.  whither  we  arrived  in  good  season,  got  supper  and 
left  by  a  night  train,  the  first  of  the  season,  for  Halle. 

Thursday  June  16.  Morning  found  us  in  Halle.  Went  to 
the  Kron  Prinz,  got  breakfast  and  sallied  out  to  find  Mr. 
Young, — in  two  hours  of  search  by  the  final  aid  of  a  German 
student  found  his  room,  and  in  3/4  of  an  hour  found  him. 
He  took  us  to  see  a  German  friend  of  his  who  gave  us  letters 
to  Menzel  of  Leipzig.  Called  on  Chapman,  thence  went  to 
Station,  and  were  soon  on  the  way  to  Leipsic,  where  we 
arrived  at  noon,  stopping  at  the  "Hotel  de  Baviere. "  After 
dinner  sallied  out  and  called  on  Dr.  Erdmann,  found  him 
and  his  Lab.  open  and  right.  Himself  talking  some  English 
and  jolly.  Found  Menzel  and  with  his  aid  after  two  trials 
found  a  nice  cheap  room  with  apparently  a  nice  Wirth  and 
Wirthinn.    Returned  to  the  Baviere  and  lodged. 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUROPE  43 

Friday  June  17.  In  morning  got  over  to  our  lodgings, 
adjusted  accounts  to  some  extent,  entered  the  Laboratory  and 
got  agoing  on  Ultramarine,  bought  Will's  Outlines,  2d  ed. 

Saturday  June  18.  Heard  Dr.  Erdmann's  lecture.  Worked 
in  Lab.  3  hours  of  morning.  Dined  at  "Hotel  Garni  Kaiser 
Oesterreich. ' '  In  P.M.  called  on  Hof .  Morgenstern  and  were 
fairly  received,  but  must  call  again  with  testimonials.  Called 
at  Hugershoff's  establishment. 

Sund^iy.     Walked  in  Rosenthal. 

Monday  20th.  Attended  Dr.  Erdmann's  Vorlesungen,  and 
went  with  him  and  Weld  to  Hofrath  Morgenstern,  where 
Weld  presented  Uncle  Ben's  Emphfehlungs  Brief  and  the 
Hofrath  talked  like  it.  Returned  to  Lab.,  finished  Ultramarine. 
Visited  Hugershoff  and  made  a  few  purchases. 

Tuesday  21.  Worked  in  Lab.  on  an  etwas  seltener  Sub- 
stanz.    Purchased  hardware,  etc. 

Wednesday.  Continued  work  and  developed  the  Haupt- 
sache  of  Pechblende,  Uranoxyd.  Found  besides  Lead; 
Bismuth,  Iron,  Alumina,  Lime,  Magnesia,  Silica.  Ordered 
Lamp  from  Hugershoff's. 

Thursday.  Things  as  usual.  Prof,  gave  me  an  organic 
salt,  which  I  soon  found  to  be  picrate  of  potash.  Then  came 
a  mixture  of  Propylic,  Butyric  and  Valerianic  Acids,  or  some 
of  them.  Concluded  from  behavior  of  silver  salts  that  it  is 
mostly  Propylic  in  combination  with  Soda.  Bought  a  fine 
umbrella  at  4  Th.  Weld  and  I  walked  over  to  the  Polizei  and 
were  allowed  to  come  "Morgen. "    Letter  to  Uricoechea. 

Friday — June  24.  St.  Johannis  Day.  Went  to  Laboratory 
and  found  it  shut.  Returned,  ordering  Lowig,  and  Lehraann  's 
Phys.  Chem.  The  former  was  sent  me.  Found  Butyric  and 
Valerianic  acids  well  treated  of.  Propylic  briefly.  Made 
improved  blowpipe  tongs,  after  Weld's  suggestion,  all  but 
platina  points.  Received  permission  of  residence  from  the 
police.  Walked  out  into  the  Johannis  Thai,  the  "Gottes 
Acker's"  etc. 


44        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Saturday  June  25.  Worked  in  Lab.  the  forenoon.  Made 
some  progress  on  the  Chamomile  Acids.  It  is  quite  certain 
the  Butyric  acid  is  in  pretty  large  quantity.  In  afternoon 
went  to  Brockhaus  Buchhandlung.  Purchased  Liebig's  Org. 
Analysis,  Schawz's  Maasanalyse  and  Weber's  tables.  Ordered 
Liebig  and  Kopp's  Jahresbericht  for  1850  and  1851.  Our 
Wirth  brought  us  Will's  Analysis  and  Erdmann's  Lehrbuch. 
In  afternoon  had  a  call  from  Menzel. 

Monday  June  27.  Worked  in  Labi  Free,  mixed  acids  by 
AgONOs  for  at.  wt.  detr.  Called  on  Dr.  Zenker  and  took  first 
lesson  in  German. 

Tuesday.  Wrote  home.  Worked  in  Lab.  Gave  Prof,  etwas 
Zucker.  Undertook  atomic  wt.  estimation.  Blundered  all  day 
hunting  crucibles,  (Royal  Porcelain  depository  was  not  open) 
drying  and  weighing,  finally  got  it  nearly  finished. 

Wednesday  June  29.  Finished  At.  Wts.  of  Valerianate  of 
Silver.  Rec'd  letter  from  Uricoechea.  Went  out  to  the 
Military  parade.    Bought  bathtub. 

Thursday  June  30.  Analyzed  a  substance  used  by  the 
Chinese  to  procure  Kindtodt,  found  only  FcsOg  and  SO3  and 
HO,  but  no  WO3,  no  TiOg  as  a  Belgian  chemist  had  reported. 
In  evening  went  to  concert  in  Rosenthal.  Ordered  Huger- 
shoff's  best  balance,  got  new  Spirit  Lamp. 

Friday  July  1.  Rather  unsuccessful  in  preparing  xl  Malate 
of  Lead  from  crude  Malate  of  Lime.  Dr.  Erdmann's  Lecture 
on  Pt.  Pd.  Os.  Ir.  was  very  interesting.  Spirit  Lamp  and 
Iodine  distinguished  Pd.  from  Pt. 

Saturday  July  2.  Dr.  Erdmann  lectured  on  Gold.  Men- 
tioned the  gilding  of  the  cut  section  of  a  platina  gilt  coin. 
Was  unsuccessful  in  getting  xls  of  Malate  of  Lead  from  the 
evap.  sol.  of  yesterday.  Cleaned  platina  ware.  Procured 
Alkalimeters  of  Hugershoff.  Weld  and  I  adjudicated  our 
accounts. 

Sunday.  Went  to  Nikolai  Kirche  in  the  morning.  Walked 
about  town  in  P.M.    Birthday. 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUROPE  45 

Monday.  Found  lead  salt  of  Malic  Acid  crystallized,  but 
in  small  quantity.  Undertook  preparation  of  Acid  Malate  of 
Lime,  morning  will  tell  how  successful.  Great  Fire.  Visited 
Am.  Consul.    Weld  rec'd  weekly  Post  of  June  16. 

Tuesday  July  5.  Found  fine  xls  of  Ca02M  at  Laboratory. 
Our  "Wirth  has  at  last  finished  our  book  binding. 

Wednesday  6.  Unsuccessful  attempts  to  procure  more  xls 
of  CaOM.  ¥\re  in  Great  Windmill  Street  near  by  Dr. 
Zenker's.  Could  not  get  to  the  Dr.  for  the  military  that 
guarded  the  streets.  Got  our  inscription  at  last,  for  6  Th. 
25  sgr.  4  pf.  Went  to  Theater  in  eve.  to  see  Hamlet  done  in 
Deutsche.  "Es  stinkt  zum  Himmel."  Got  a  cheap  place 
for  20  sgr,,  which  in  the  morning  we  might  have  bought  for 
half  the  money. 

Right  Hand  of  the  Rector ! 

Thursday  July  7.  Obtained  our  Pocket  cards  in  morning. 
Was  desperate  sleepy  in  Dr.  Erdmann's  Lecture.  ]\Iust  sit 
near  the  window  tomorrow.  Still  worked  at  Malate  of  Lime. 
One  week  at  Malate  of  Lead.  Es  Muss!  Dr.  Erdmann's 
story  of  the  bees  as  big  as  bears  with  hives  of  usual  size.  But 
how  can  the  bees  get  into  hives,  smaller  than  the  bees  them- 
selves ?    * '  Na,  sie  Miissen  hinein ! ' '    The  Malate  of  Lead  muss ! 

Friday.  At  Malate  of  Lime  etc.  Treated  Malate  of  Lead 
after  Dr.  Erdmann's  directions.  No  xls.  Prepared  newly 
acid  malate  of  Lime.  Evap.  the  old  stock  of  malate  of  lead 
prec.  by  SO3  and  HS. 

Sunday  10.     Nikolai  Kirche. 

Thursday  14.  Took  tea  at  Dr.  Zenker's.  Had  jolly  social 
time  with  Herr  Dr.,  Frau  Doctorinn  und  Fraulein  Marezoll. 

Friday  15.  Dr.  Erdmann  opened  to  Weld  about  Berzelius, 
Liebig,  Gerhardt.    Commenced  on  Butylic  Alcohol. 

Saturday  16.  Attended  Neumann's  Lecture  on  Snow  and 
Rain.    Was  visited  in  evening  by  Konig. 


46        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Wednesday.     Fusel  oil. 

Week  ending  July  30.  In  Lab.  worked  at  Fusel  oil. 
Friday  our  balance  was  done — cost  69  Rthl.  Saturday  Graf 
Weld  and  I  took  a  walk  to  Napoleon's  Denkmal.  Ate  at 
Stotteritz  and  had  a  good  time. 

Sunday. — ^Wir  gingen  morgen  zum  Catholisches  Kirche  und 
nachmittag  zum  Schiitzen-Haus,  das  Sommerfest  zu  sehen. 
Da  begegnen  wir  Herr  Ebermeyer  mit  ein  Deutschen  Freund, 
Mr.  Costello  und  ein  Franzoser  mit  eine  Englische  Damen. 
Wir  sprechen  viel  Deutsch  und  den  heiligen  Tag  zerbrechen. 

Thursday  4.  Things  grow  old  if  they  do  not  progress. 
Heard  music  in  Neu  Markt. 

Friday  5  Aug.  Lab.  as  usual,  and  there  gouged  two  fingers. 
Attended  Sommer  Theater.  Found  letter  from  home,  on 
return  to  room,  dated  July  17,  mailed  18,  left  New  York  23d 
July — 13  days  from  New  York. 

(A.  A.  J.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

Dear  Son, —  .  .  .  — It  is  quite  natural  that  you,  in  a 
strange  land  divided  by  3000  miles  of  Ocean  from  your  native 
land  should  think  of  it  and  home  with  deep  interest.  At 
least  I  hope  so,  and  believe  you  do  and  will  continue  to,  but 
as  you  have  gone  there  for  improvement  you  will,  I  am  quite 
sure,  use  your  time  to  advantage.  As  you  speak  of  the  hours 
they  were  all  employed,  and  you  borrowed  time  to  write. 
Have  relaxation  enough  to  ensure  health  of  body  and  mind, 
for  what  will  knowledge  avail  without  them?  You  and  Mr. 
Weld  must  watch  over  each  other  for  good,  as  I  trust  you 
will,  both  for  time  and  Eternity.  The  manners  and  customs 
of  the  people  differ  widely  from  ours ;  and  yet  there  is  much 
good  there  to  be  copied,  no  doubt,  and  evil  to  be  avoided, 
which  I  have  confidence  to  believe  you  will  do  wisely.  You 
have  not  said  whether  you  are  among  Papists  or  Protestants. 

While  it  is  necessary  that  you  economize  well,  I  don't  want 
you  to  suffer  loss  in  improvement  by  being  too  much  stinted 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUROPE  47 

in  necessary  means, — I  suppose  you  will  not  want  anything 
more  from  me  before  next  winter.  As  I  told  you  before  leav- 
ing home,  you  must  let  me  know  long  enough  beforehand  so 
that  I  can  raise  the  means  without  having  to  make  sacrifices 
to  get  the  money;  and  also  the  manner  of  transmitting  it  to 
you,  or  your  obtaining  it  by  draft  on  some  house  in  New  York 
or  elsewhere.  I  want  to  get  along  to  supply  you  without 
involving  myself  or  property,  if  possible.  Easton  will  want 
help,  Esther  wants  a  piano,  etc.,  etc.,  but  your  case  stands 
first  on  the  lists.  My  heart  is  larger  than  my  treasury.  I 
want  to  make  all  things  meet  right.  I  abhor  to  be  in  debt. 
I  should  be  unhappy  if  my  pecuniary  concerns  were  deranged. 
I  want  when  I  leave  the  stewardship  to  leave  it  uninvolved,  if 
possible. 

May  the  Lord  bless  you. — 

(From  a  diary) 

Tuesday  9.  With  Weld  walked  to  Gohlis,  and  read  upon 
an  arched  gateway  "Here  lived  Schiller  and  wrote  the  hymn 
to  Joy  in  the  year  1785,"  and  in  the  upper  story  of  a  little, 
funny  house  the  poet  lived,  over  the  window  of  which  was  a 
sign  "Schiller  Stube. "  I  carried  home  and  pressed  among 
other  flowers  3  sprigs  of  a  Lubiate  from  near  the  gateway. 

Monday  August  15.     No  more  lectures  from  Erdmann. 

Friday  19.  Call  from  Hiller  who  brings  report  from  the 
American  colony  at  Gottingen,  walked  about  town  with  him 
and  had  a  revel  in  Auerbach's  Keller. 

Thursday  7 — Saturday  17.     Studied  Schiller. 

Saturday  17.  Weld  returned  from  Thuringia  4  A.M.  At 
about  10  we  moved  to  our  new  lodging  1678  West  Street. 

Week  from  17  to  25.  Discontinued  lessons  from  Dr.  Zenker. 
Remarked  the  opening  and  progress  of  the  Fair.  Rec  'd  letter 
from  Father  with  Independent.  Several  Tribunes  arrived.  I 
purchased  two  Agate  mortars  for  16  Rthl.  Translated  some- 
thing in  "Holland  Dairy  and  Cattle." 


48        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

(S.W.J.  TO  A.  A.  J.) 

Leipsic,  Sept.  23,  1853. 

Dear  Father  and  friends  at  home, —  .  .  .  — I  have  staid 
in  Leipsic  the  whole  of  the  vacation  since  the  20th  of  July, 
and  shall  probably  remain  here  through  it,  i.e.  till  Oct.  20. 
Mr.  Weld  made  a  journey  of  two  weeks  with  knapsack 
on  back  through  the  Thuringian  Provinces  lying  west  and 
slightly  south  from  Leipsic.  I  would  have  accompanied  him, 
but  wanted  to  study  German,  and  concluded  to  remain  here. 
...  I  was  greatly  rejoiced  to  hear  that  Mother  had  been  able 
to  make  so  much  of  a  journey  as  the  one  to  visit  Uncle 
Charles.  I  wish  she  was  over  here,  I  would  like  to  "tote" 
her  down  to  Lombardy  to  spend  the  winter  where  the  climate 
is  not  precisely  like  that  of  Deer  River.  As  to  newspapers. 
Weld  and  I  now  take  the  Tribune  for  Europe  weekly,  it  costs 
5  dollars  per  annum  including  postage.  I  have  received  a 
copy  of  Northern  Journal  of  Aug.  31  containing  some  R.  R. 
talk  and  the  Independent.  The  Independent  though  marked 
paid  was  not  marked  franco  which  is  the  only  paid  under- 
stood here,  and  cost  me  3  groschen,  7  1/2  cents.  The  Northern 
Journal  cost  me  20  cents,  being  so  covered  up  in  wrapper  as 
to  pass  for  a  letter.  The  German  postoffice  is  a  puzzle,  so  all 
the  Americans  here  concur  in  saying.  I  spend  usually  a  half 
hour  daily  in  a  reading  room  in  the  city  where,  besides  one 

U.  S.  paper  "The  Satanic  Press"  the  infamous  H ,  I  find 

the  London  Times,  Punch,  and  several  other  English  journals 
besides  hosts  of  German  papers.  With  regard  to  the  Caven- 
dish Society,  the  subscription  is  $6.00,  more  or  less,  annually 
according  to  the  number  of  volumes  printed.  The  New  York 
agent  is  H.  Bailliere.  He  is  paid  for  the  current  year  and 
I  have  the  receipt. 

I  have  money  enough  to  last  till  March,  and  more  too,  unless 
unforeseen  expenses  arise.  My  estimate  of  necessary  living 
expenses  for  the  winter — for  6  months — is  as  follows  and  is 
liberal  so  far  as  I  can  judge. 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUROPE  49 

Rthl.  Out  of  the  145  Rthl.  (Rix 

Board 40  Thalers  )  balance  must  come 

Washing  ....  10  books  and  other  conveniences. 
Laboratory  and  Lectures  40  In  March  we  intend  to  go  to 
Light  and  fuel  ...  10  Munich.  Prof.  Erdmann  has 
Rent  and  lodging  .  .  20  seen  Baron  Liebig  and  en- 
Clothes     30  gaged   places   for   us   in   his 

Et  ceteras     ....     30  laboratory.      Munich    is    the 

cheapest    city    in    Germany, 

Total  Rthl.       .      .  180  there  the  gulden  =  42  cents, 

Cash  on  hand  .      .  325  will  go  as  far  as  the  Thaler 

=  73  cents  in  Leipsic,  so  say 

Balance    .      .      .  145       authorities  in  travel.    My  bill 

of  exchange  for  50£  obtained 
in  New  York  brought  me  here  333  1/3  Rthl.  or  about  73  cents 
per  Rthl.  The  loss  is  thus  about  4  pr.  ct.  of  the  actual  value. 
The  Rthl.  having  an  actual  value  of  70  cents.  Whether  this 
loss  in  exchange  can  be  avoided  or  not  I  don 't  know.  If  I  can 
have  a  remittance  of  $100  in  Feb.  I  will  lay  out  for  books, 
especially  aa  Leipsic  is  the  place  for  books.  If  it  will  not  be 
convenient  then  or  before  to  remit,  I  will  hold  on  to  my  extra 
100  Rthl.—  .  .  . 

(From  a  diary) 

Thursday  Oct.  6.  Gillingham  called  on  me  at  8  A.M. 
Walked  with  him  into  town,  left  him  to  arrange  his  business, 
and  went  to  Fritzsch.  Found  there  the  3d  volume  of  Leh- 
mann.  Ordered  at  25  pr.  ct.  discount  a  lot  of  books.  Thence 
to  visit  Waring  and  Coolidge,  talked  a  pleasant  hour  with 
them,  then  found  Gillingham  and  went  with  him  to  Dr. 
Vogel's  1st  Burger  Schule,  Prof.  Allen  shortly  came,  and 
we  made  a  circuit  of  the  school.  Examined  the  Dr.'s  maps 
and  Nutz  Plans.    Saw  a  class  of  boys  writing  to  a  tune. 

Saturday  8.  Pleasant  day.  Wrote  in  morning,  at  3  P.M. 
called  on  Messrs.  Waring  and  Coolidge,  found  Mr.  Allen  of 
the  Burger  Schule  da.     Ging  mit  Herm  Waring  und  Cool- 


50        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

idge  Herr  Dr.  Zenker  zu  besuchen,  die  Herren  sich  bei  ihm 
zu  studiren  entschlossen.  Bought  tickets  for  the  Gewandhaus 
Concerts. 

Thursday  13.  Visited  Waring  and  Coolidge.  Was  called 
upon  at  4  P.M.  by  Mr.  Pugh  just  arrived  from  America. 

Jason  Clark  Easton  had  married  Mr.  Johnson's  sis- 
ter, Sarah,  in  1851.  His  letters  show  that  Mr.  Easton 
was  some  time  in  finding  his  true  vocation  in  life,  try- 
ing first  one  then  another  occupation,  and  meeting  with 
a  fair  share  of  success  in  each.  It  was  not  until  he 
encountered  the  problems  presented  in  the  settle- 
ment of  the  Northwest  that  he  found  his  opportunity. 
There  he  foresaw  the  form  the  development  of  the 
country  would  assume ;  he  became  a  successful  banker 
and  was  largely  concerned  in  the  construction  and 
management  of  railroads  in  Minnesota,  in  the  exten- 
sion and  development  of  which  he  took  an  active  part. 
The  affectionate  intimacy  of  boyhood  continued  until 
old  age,  and  kept  him  and  Mr.  Johnson  in  close  sym- 
pathy. The  dominant  characteristics  which  shaped 
the  lives  of  the  two  men,  starting  under  conditions  so 
nearly  identical,  are  interesting.  Widely  divergent  in 
their  development,  each  recognized  in  the  other  a 
capacity  which  he  himself  did  not  possess  and  found 
hard  to  understand,  while  admiring  and  respecting  it. 
In  November  1853,  Mr.  Easton  wrote  to  his  absent 
brother-in-law,  closing  with  these  words: 

— As  much  as  I  want  to  see  you,  I  do  not  want  you  to  come 
home  till  you  have  done  all  you  have  intended.  I  want  you 
to  come  out  a  strong  man.  I  am  proud  of  you  as  a  brother 
and  expect  to  see  you  one  day  one  of  the  first  scholars  in  this 
country.  I  wish  I  was  rich,  I  would  send  you  all  the  funds 
you  wanted.    I  don't,  however,  apprehend  that  you  will  lack. 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUEOPE  51 

If  you  do,  I  will  help  you  to  stay  there  six  months  or  a  year. 
So  don't  be  uneasy  about  money.  Write  me  a  few  lines  often. 
I  will  willingly  pay  the  postage.  We  are  all  so  glad  to  hear 
from  you  that  we  have  a  little  sort  of  Jubilee  when  we  get  a 
letter  from  you. 

Mr.  Johnson  now  had  the  happiness  of  feeling  that 
his  prolonged  expenditure  of  time  and  money  on  his 
studies  was  fully  approved  by  the  two  men  whose 
business  judgment  he  most  valued,  his  brother-in-law 
and  his  father — who  only  a  few  weeks  before  had 
reassured  him  on  this  point,  saying: 

While  you  can  improve  your  state  of  knowledge  stay  there, 
for  some  time  to  come.  I  shall  expect  to  furnish  means  as 
you  desired,  if  possible.  If  I  can  get  along  without  lessening 
the  fountain,  the  stream  flowing  will  be  larger.  I  hope  to  do 
so,  for  if  the  fountain  head  begins  to  lessen  there  may  be 
danger  of  its  becoming  dry.  I  must  keep  my  expenses  within 
my  income,  but  I  mean  to  keep  you  supplied  with  the  neces- 
sary means.    You  are  remembered  by  all  in  love. — 

In  these  days,  when  money  can  be  so  easily  and 
cheaply  sent  abroad,  the  following  letter  is  worthy  of 
note  as  showing  different  conditions  sixty  years  ago 
and  the  fortunate  relations  which  enabled  Mr.  Abner 
A.  Johnson  to  forward  remittances  to  his  son  mthout 
undue  expense : 

Deer  River,  31  Deer.  1853. 

Dear  Son, — After  waiting  with  painful  anxiety  more  than 
two  months,  yours  dated  26th  Novr.  came  to  hand.  .  .  .  Could 
you  find  time  to  write  more  letters  they  would  be  very  grati- 
fymg  to  your  friends.  As  to  that  you  must  be  the  judge. 
Be  sure  not  to  overtax  yourself  physically  or  mentally.  I 
hope  to  live  to  see  you,  much  improved  in  body  and  mind. 


52        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Your  abstemiousness  in  meats  and  drink  will  be  very  likely 
to  promote  health,  if  you  do  not  overtax  yourself  with  too 
close  application  to  studies.  .  .  .  Knauth,  Nachod  and  Kiihne 
want  74  1/2  cents  for  the  Prussian  thaler,  I  think  it  paying 
rather  dear.  I  have  been  today  to  Carthage  and  let  Mr. 
Stuart  have  $210.  He  will  send  it  to  Mr.  Le  Ray.  Mr.  Stuart 
says  you  will  get  the  money.  You  will  write  to  Mr.  Le  Ray 
de  Chaumont,  Rue  St.  Florentine  No.  2,  Paris,  that  your 
father  has  P.  Sommerville  Stuart's  receipt  for  $210.  to  be 
sent  to  him  for  you.  He,  Mr.  Le  Ray,  will  either  pay  the 
amount  on  your  draft  or  send  in  some  way  so  that  you  will 
get  the  money,  so  says  Mr.  Stuart,  very  surely,  but  how  much 
it  will  cost  he  does  not  know.  He  says  money  in  Europe,  as 
in  this  country,  is  merchandise,  but  so  far  as  he  and  Mr. 
Le  Ray  are  concerned,  they  take  nothing  more  than  they  pay 
out.  Mr.  Stuart  seemed  very  willing  to  send,  he  has  money 
to  send  besides  yours,  and  has  nearly  every  week,  and  it  all 
has  reached  its  destination.  ...  I  wish  you  a  happy  New 
Year.  God  bless  you  and  make  you  useful.  Your  Mother  is 
more  comfortable.    Our  love  to  you.    Affectionately, 

A.  A.  Johnson. 

James  Donatien  Le  Ray  de  Chaumont,  through  his 
intimacy  with  Benjamin  Franklin,  who  passed  several 
years  in  his  father's  house  at  Passy,  became  interested 
in  American  affairs,  and  in  1785  visited  this  country 
on  a  business  errand  for  his  father,  who  had  given  a 
substantial  part  of  his  large  fortune  to  the  cause  of 
American  independence.  Through  the  influence  of 
Gouverneur  Morris,  Mr.  Le  Ray  then  made  the  first  of 
his  large  purchases  of  "wild  lands"  in  Northern  New 
York  State.  His  son  Vincent,  referred  to  in  the  pre- 
ceding letter,  was  educated  in  France,  and  after  May 
1807,  resided  on  the  New  York  State  lands,  where  his 
great  house  at  Le  Raysville  is  still  standing.    In  1853, 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUROPE  53 

Mr.  Vincent  Le  Ray  de  Chaumont  had  returned  to 
France  and  was  living  in  Paris,  but  he  still  took  lively 
interest  in  his  American  possessions,  and  was  in  close 
communication  with  his  agent,  Mr.  Stuart,  who  lived 
at  Carthage,  four  miles  from  Deer  River.  Mr.  V.  Le 
Ray  employed  agents  in  Europe  to  procure  emigrants 
for  his  American  lands,  on  which  at  this  time  were 
fully  three  thousand  French  and  German  settlers. 
To  these  he  advanced  their  necessary  expenses  in 
taking  up  the  land;  he  also  was  in  the  habit  of 
extending  banking  courtesies  to  his  New  York  State 
neighbors. 

On  January  24,  1854,  Mr.  Johnson  acknowledged 
the  receipt  of  this  remittance: 

Dear  Father, — Yours  of  Dee.  30th  came  to  hand  4  days 
since,  and  while  I  was  waiting  to  get  some  advice  as  to  how 
I  should  request  Mr.  Le  Ray  de  Chaumont  to  forward  the 
money,  the  transmission  of  which  to  him  Father's  letter  men- 
tioned, I  rec'd  a  note  from  him  written  in  French  inclosing 
a  "first  of  'change"  to  the  amount  of  294  16/80  Rthl.  on 
Hammer  and  Schmidt,  bankers  of  Leipsic.  210  -^  294.5  =: 
71  1/3,  very  considerably  less  than  74  1/2,  making  this  an 
excellent  method  of  transmission.  The  Bill  of  Exchange  I 
presented  this  morning  to  Hammer  and  Schmidt,  and  they 
are  ready  to  cash  it  as  T  want  it.  I  also  mailed  today  a  letter 
(in  English)  to  Mr.  Le  R.  de  C,  acknowledging  the  receipt 
of  the  draft,  and  thanking  him  for  his  kind  offices.  I  am  sur- 
prised that  such  long  intervals  find  place  between  my  letters. 
I  should  write  oftener  but  that  it  seems  a  pity  to  pay  so  much 
postage  on  a  short  letter,  and  the  daily  events  of  ray  life  do 
not  furnish  material  for  very  long  ones.  I  shall  now  try  to 
bring  up  my  arrears  to  all  the  people. — I  am  greatly  obliged 
for  the  new  stock  of  funds.  Having  laid  in  a  good  stock  of 
books,  I  have  nothing  more  to  do  than  to  keep  away  from  the 


54        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

bookstores  and  pay  my  living  expenses.  While  I  feel  that  it 
is  desirous  to  be  able  to  lay  broad  the  foundations  of  future 
usefulness,  I  shall  strive  to  make  no  unnecessary  expenditures 
and  hope  to  live  and  repay — ^partly  in  money,  if  needful — 
the  long  list  of  debts  that  I  owe  my  dear  and  deeply  honored 
Father,  whom  may  Heaven  bless  in  time  and  Eternity.  .   .   . 

The  same  mail  carried  letters  to  his  mother  and  to 
his  little  sister,  Elizabeth,  then  aged  eleven: 

Zwei  und  Zwanzig  Nikolai  Str. 
Leipzig,  Konigreich  Sachsen, 
Januar  den  24ten. 

Dear  Mother, — The  above  flourish  is  intended  to  assure  you 
that  your  dutiful  son  is  able  to  write  two  short  lines  of  German 
in  German  style, — an  evidence  of  my  progress  in  literature. 
"What  I  can  write  of  German  life  that  will  interest  Mother, 
I  don't  know.  The  mothers  of  Germany  are  like  those  of 
other  parts  of  the  world  in  many  particulars.  The  German 
education  of  ladies  usually  stops  with  a  full  inculcation  of 
the  duties  and  details  of  housekeeping.  Daughters  of  literary 
men  learn  languages,  and  this  is  all,  save  that  they  all  know 
music  and  can  drink  beer,  two  things  which  are  mysteries  to 
me.  They  are  great  lovers  of  flowers,  and  every  patch  of 
ground  and  every  place  where  a  flowerpot  can  stand  or  hang 
is  appropriated.  On  a  fine  day  the  city  promenade  is  covered 
with  nurses  drawing  children  in  neat  little  basketwagons,  the 
little  innocents  packed  warmly  between  large  pillows,  two 
or  three  of  them  often  together  in  the  same  vehicle,  enjoying 
the  fresh  air.  The  amount  of  amusement  furnished  to  chil- 
dren is  astonishingly  great.  There  is  no  end  of  toys,  games, 
etc.,  of  all  possible  kinds.  The  little  boy  of  my  landlord  has 
swords,  guns,  pistols,  drums,  fifes,  violins,  wagons,  birds, 
horses,  etc.  by  the  bushel,  and  something  new  every  week. 
The  old  people  keep  up  the  love  of  amusement  acquired  in 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUROPE  55 

infancy  or  childhood.  Concerts,  balls,  "tea  fights"  etc.,  are 
continually  on  the  carpet.  The  poor  journeyman  who  earns 
besides  his  board  and  lodging  75  cents  a  week  considers  his 
"  Vergniigen, "  i.e.  Pleasure,  an  item  of  expense  as  necessary 
as  his  clothes.  Ladies  here  not  only  drink  beer  and  wine,  but 
also  punch,  or  grog  as  they  call  it.  This  however  is  nothing 
alarming,  no  spirit  is  consumed  here  that  would  burn  alone 
and  while  very  many  manage  to  keep  jolly  a  large  portion  of 
the  time,  nobody  gets  drunk.  One  of  the  niceties  is  rum  in 
tea.  Coffee  is  immensely  drunk.  A  German  breakfast  con- 
sists of  2-3  cups  of  strong  coffee,  without  milk  most  usually, 
and  two  little  rolls  taken  immediately  upon  getting  out  of 
bed.  It  is  foreign  and  barbarous  to  eat  a  meat  breakfast. 
Dinner  is  a  long  and  formidable  affair — coffee  is  used  as  a 
sort  of  lunch  between  meals  and  by  many  as  a  winding-up 
of  dinner.  A  hotel  dessert  is  bread-butter  and  cheese.  Pies 
are  only  to  be  had  at  the  confectioners  or  coffee  houses.  Cakes 
are  made  in  vast  variety.  Every  day  now,  one  meets  lots  of 
people  in  the  streets  carrying  baskets  of  a  kind  of  cake  tasting 
like  butter  cracker  somewhat,  and  shaped  like  oo  .  "Pret- 
zels, warm  and  soft"  is  the  cry,  but  they  are  invariably  cold 
and  usually  hard ;  they  sell  at  3  or  4  for  a  cent.  At  Christmas 
a  kind  of  plain  fruit  cake  was  in  great  vogue,  called  "stolle." 
Every  family  baked  for  itself,  if  it  had  conveniences.  A  big 
piece,  like  a  thick  stick  of  stove  wood,  was  presented  to  Weld 
and  myself  from  our  landlady,  and  was  productive  of  memo- 
ries of  the  further  buttery.  I  intend  one  of  these  days  to 
write  to  the  Cultivator  an  account  of  a  market  day  in  Leipsic. 
The  agreeable  duties  of  marketing  are  mostly  confined  to  the 
Ladies.  The  country  ma'ams  and  misses  come  into  town 
from  all  directions  early  in  the  morning,  some  in  bags,  some 
in  rags,  some  in  wagons,  and  some  in  leather  breeches  and 
sheepskin  roundabouts  or  sacks.  Some  of  the  more  important 
ride,  but  the  larger  number  take  their  own  conveyance.  They 
bring  their  truck  of  all  sorts,  cabbages,  carrots,  beets,  blos- 
soms, black  bread,   'taters,  turnips  and  all  imaginable  kinds 


56        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

of  greens  in  baskets  upon  their  backs.  They  take  their  station 
in  the  street  or  in  the  market  place,  and  sit  all  day  long,  rain 
or  shine,  freeze  or  thaw,  and  sell  their  commodities — gossip — 
drink  coffee — if  cold,  warm  their  fingers  over  little  pots  of 
charcoal — and  when  night  comes,  travel  1  to  5  or  10  miles 
back  to  their  houses.  I  bought  one  day  a  bushel  of  apples 
of  a  market  woman,  and  she  brought  them  to  our  room.  It 
was  cold,  and  of  course  we  had  a  fire.  The  old  lady  labored 
up  two  pair  of  stairs  without  minding  it,  and  setting  down 
her  burden  exclaimed,  ' '  Oh,  it  is  warm  here,  it  is  not  warm  at 
home ! ' '  We  have  had  but  a  few  cold  days.  But  they  were 
hard  for  the  poor,  fuel  here  is  very  dear  and  many  suffered 
when  the  cold  was  most  intense.  .  .  .  Leipsic  is  a  well  gov- 
erned city.  There  is  very  little  suffering  compared  with  that 
found  in  many  German  towns.  But  Mother,  the  paper  is  so 
near  full  that  I  have  space  only  to  wish  you  a  happy  New 
Year — a  year  of  renewed  health  and  strength.  Most  affec- 
tionately, My  dear  Mother,  Your,  Samuel. 

Dear  Sister  Elizabeth, — The  letters  you  have  so  kindly 
written  me  have  given  me  great  pleasure,  and  with  no  lack 
of  pleasure  I  now  attempt  to  answer.  I  shall  tell  you  a  story 
of  Christmas  time  in  Leipsic,  and  all  about  the  pretty  custom 
here  of  making  little  folks  happy  about  these  days.  Many 
good  people  here  believe  that  Christ  was  born  on  the  25th 
day  of  December,  and  nobody  knows  to  the  contrary — and 
since  the  gifts  of  "peace  on  earth  and  good  will  to  men,"  of 
redemption  and  everlasting  joy  in  Heaven  which  he  gave  to 
his  children  by  coming  on  the  Earth  to  die  for  them,  were 
brought  on  Christmas  evening,  the  good  people  of  Germany 
make  their  children  pleasant  gifts  on  this  night,  to  make  them 
happy  and  remind  them  of  the  Savior  who  has  given  them  the 
great  gifts.  My  good  friend  Dr.  Zenker  called  on  me  the 
23d  of  Dec.  to  invite  me  to  his  family  Christmas  festival  to 
be  held  the  next  day.  I  went  at  the  appointed  time,  and  found 
4  other  Americans,  all  acquaintances,  invited  to  join  in  the 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUROPE  57 

festivities.  Several  other  young  people  were  present  and, 
besides  the  Dr's  4  children,  a  little  boy  and  girl  from  a  neigh- 
boring family.  On  entering  the  house  we  heard  the  voices  of 
the  children  in  one  of  the  parlors  where  they  were  staying, 
impatient  for  the  signal  that  should  announce  that  the  tree 
was  ready  and  summon  them  to  receive  the  Christmas  pres- 
ents. After  waiting  some  time  the  door  of  the  Dr. 's  study 
was  opened,  the  children  were  led  in,  and  we  followed.  On 
one  table  were  the  gifts  for  the  Dr.  On  another  were  arranged 
as  many  plates  as  were  guests  invited,  and  on  or  near  them 
were  cakes,  nuts,  candies,  etc.  On  a  sofa  and  .floor  were 
arranged  presents  for  the  children,  and  in  a  comer  stood  the 
Christmas  tree,  a  pine  branch  5  or  6  ft.  high,  set  upright  on 
a  wooden  pedestal,  having  little  candles  made  of  various 
colored  material  burning  at  the  end  of  the  twigs,  and  hung 
with  ribbons,  colored  paper  and  a  host  of  nuts,  raisins,  little 
cakes,  etc.  Each  one  now  was  conducted  to  his  portion  of 
good  things,  and  we  began  shortly  to  look  at  each  other's 
presents  and  amuse  ourselves  in  conversation,  which  you  may 
be  assured  did  not  slip  my  tongue  quite  so  easily  as  it  would 
have  done  could  I  have  spoken  in  English.  Dr.  Zenker  received 
many  nice  gifts  from  his  good  wife,  new  curtains  to  his  study 
windows,  a  huge  piece  of  "stolle"  or  fruit  cake  as  big  as  a 
very  thick  stick  of  stove  wood,  a  box  of  cigars, — for  every  he 
German  smokes, — a  fine  medallion  of  Goethe  the  great  Poet, 
given  by  an  American,  and  cakes,  candies  etc.  The  children 
of  course  had  the  fine  things.  One  had  a  kitchen  with  dishes, 
stove,  hams  hanging  on  the  wall  and  all  the  fixings  complete, 
another  had  a  chamber  with  furniture,  dolls,  etc.  The  little 
boy  received  a  riding  horse,  a  gun,  a  flute.  I  found  on  my 
place  a  teacup  and  saucer  made  in  Leipsic  and  having  a  pic- 
ture of  the  city  upon  it.  Tea  cakes,  sausages,  herrings,  and 
other  simple  refreshments  were  at  jtimes  distributed.  We 
talked  lots  of  German,  were  all  vastly  happy,  and  at  10  o'clock 
bid  the  Dr.  and  Doctorinn  good  night.  They  wished  us  "to 
sleep  well,"  and  "to  come  and  see  them  right  quickly  again," 


58        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

and  I  have  not  been  there  since.    I  could  write  lots  more  but 
the  paper  is  nearly  used  up — so  goodbye —  Samuel. 

Baron  Liebig,  who  had  left  Giessen,  was  preparing 
to  reopen  his  laboratory  in  Munich,  and  there  was 
some  uncertainty  as  to  when  it  would  be  in  running 
order.  Through  correspondence  with  Munich  friends, 
Mr.  Johnson  learned  that  the  expectation  was  that 
the  building  would  be  finished  by  May,  and  that 
the  semesters  would  correspond  to  the  regular  univer- 
sity semester — the  lectures  commencing  on  May  2. 
The  rules  adopted  at  Giessen  for  the  conduct  of  the 
laboratory  would  continue  in  force  at  Munich.  Baron 
Liebig 's  response  to  a  formal  application  from  Mr. 
Johnson  and  Mr.  Weld  was  as  follows: 

Miinchen  14  Febr.  54. 

Ich  beehre  mich  Sie  zu  unterrichten  dass  ich  mit  meiner 
Ubersiedelung  nach  Miinchen  den  praktischen  Cursus  welchen 
ich  in  Giessen  Melt  aufgegeben  habe  und  keine  Schiiler  um  sie 
zu  unterrichten  mehr  annehme.  Ich  habe  iibrigens  das  hiesige 
Laboratorium  so  eingerichtet  dass  einige  geiibte  junge  Chemi- 
ker,  die  Sinn  und  die  Hiilfsmittel  fiir  eigene  Arbeiten  bringen 
konnen  und  wenn  Sie  einige  Aufgaben  die  Sie  selbst  gewahlt 
mitbringen  und  hier  ausfiihren  wollen  so  will  ich  Ihnen  einen 
Platz  einraiiraen  ohne  weitere  Verbindliehkeit  fiir  mich  ausser 
fiir  den  Fall  wo  ich  Ihnen  besondere  Aufgaben  die  mich 
selbst  interresiren  iibertragen  diirfte.  .  .  .  Ergebenst  der 
Ihrige, 

Dr.  Just  Liebig. 

Herrn  Samuel  Johnson  und  Herrn  Mason  C.  Weld. 

(From  a  diary) 

March  22,  1854.  Packed  up  affairs  at  Leipzig  and  left  at 
7  A.M.  for  Halle  with  Pugh  in  company.     Found  Young  in 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUROPE  59 

Halle,  with  him  visited  Salt  Works  (Salinen).  Heard  the 
story  of  the  headman,  and  saw  the  stages  of  manufacture, 
took  specimens.  Visited  Prof.  Heintz,  found  him  burning  a 
fatty  acid.  He  showed  us  pure  Palmitic,  Stearic,  Lauro- 
Stearic  and  one  other  acid,  xlzed  in  scales,  and  remarked  on 
the  general  law  that  mixtures  of  these  in  certain  proportions 
gave  needles  of  margaric  acid,  so  called.  We  looked  around 
his  small  but  busy  looking  Lab.  and  left  most  favorably  im- 
pressed with  his  kindness  and  ability.  Took  leave  of  Pugh 
and  Young,  and  4  P.M.  found  Jacoby  in  Magdeburg.  With 
him  visited  the  Dome,  a  splendid  old  church.  Walked  about 
the  city  till  6  P.M.  and  left  for  Potsdam  whither  we  arrived 
at  10  P.M.  We  shortly  found  the  Stadt  Wittenberg  and  took 
lodgings  without  further  adventure. 

March  23.  At  2  P.M.  left  for  Berlin.  Arrived  there,  we 
called  at  Waring 's  lodgings,  but  he  was  not  in.  Shortly  Prof. 
Porter  overtook  us  on  the  street.  We  settled  lodgings  at  75 
Dorothy  Street,  then  walked  about  town  somewhat,  called  on 
Prof.  Porter,  then  took  supper  at  a  restaurant  and  shortly 
turned  in, 

March  24.  Got  out  at  8  A.M.  and  heard  Prof.  Gustav 
Rose  lecture  capitally  on  Rothgiiltigerz  and  Fahlerz. 

Then  visited  Rammelsberg,  calling  first  at  his  house  where 
we  saw  his  lady,  but  found  him  in  shirtsleeves  at  the  Gewerb- 
schule.  He  received  us  very  cordially  and  showed  us  his 
Laboratory,  including  the  admirable  gas  arrangements,  the 
pipettes  with  glass  stop  cocks,  sulphuretted  hydrogen  appara- 
tus, etc.  We  promised  to  hospiteer  tomorrow  and  left.  We 
then  called  on  Chapman  after  dinner,  which  I  took  in  simple 
style  in  the  Thier  Garten.  We  then  called  on  Prof.  H.  Rose 
who  received  us  in  the  most  friendly  manner  and  invited  us 
to  tea  on  Monday  Eve.  At  4  P.M.  we  surveyed  the  Frescoes 
on  the  Museum,  then  I  returned  to  room  and  went  to  Mitscher- 
lich's  Auditorium,  but  there  was  no  lecture. 

Saturday  25.  In  morning  heard  Prof.  H.  Rose  from  9-11 
on  vanadium  and  chromium.     Then  spent  two  hours  in  the 


60        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Old  Museum.  Then  went  to  Cafe  de  Baviere  and  dined  with 
Waring  and  Burton.  Thence  we  went  to  Heureuse  cafe  and 
ate  Connecticut  pie  and  drank  chocolade.  Called  an  hour  or 
so  at  Waring 's  room  and  then  went  to  my  inn.  Bought  a  20 
Rthl.  suit  of  clothes  and  visited  the  American  Minister  Gov. 
Vroom  in  the  evening.  There  made  the  acquaintance  of 
several  Americans. 

After  several  weeks  of  travel,  Mr.  Johnson  settled 
in  Munich,  where  he  worked  for  eleven  months  under 
Liebig,  von  Kobell  and  von  Pettenkofer.  He  also 
studied  German  agriculture.  The  number  of  English- 
speaking  students  in  Munich  was  small,  the  common 
language  became  a  common  bond,  and  the  life,  com- 
prising many  different  interests,  gave  a  broader  cul- 
ture than  in  these  latter  days  of  specialization.  Mr. 
Johnson  mingled  with  the  musical  and  artistic  set  of 
students,  and  his  increasing  mastery  of  the  language 
permitted  familiarity  with  the  riches  of  German  litera- 
ture, interest  in  which  was  stimulated  by  social  inter- 
course with  the  family  of  Professor  von  Kobell,  the 
chemist  and  poet.  In  the  first  letter  sent  home  after 
reaching  Munich,  he  said: 

I  have  at  last  arrived  at  Munich  where  I  shall  probably 
spend  the  2d  year  of  my  European  residence.  I  arrived  here 
in  a  snow  storm.  The  climate  of  Munich  is  the  worst  of  all 
Germany.  Lying  at  a  great  elevation  and  near  the  Tyrolese 
Alps,  it  is  subject  to  great  and  sudden  changes  of  tempera- 
ture. But  I  don't  believe  it  beats  what  I  have  been  accus- 
tomed to.  A  Blackriverite  can  stand  all  any  thermometer 
can.  There  are  here  Geo.  J.  Brush  of  Brooklyn,  Geo.  W. 
Weyman  of  Pittsburgh,  Penn.,  M.  C.  Weld  and  S.  W.  John- 
son— all  old  companions  in  the  Yale  Laboratory — and  another 
of  our  old  company,  0.  D.  Rood  of  New  Haven,  is  on  the 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUROPE  61 

Atlantic  and  will  join  us  in  a  few  weeks.  Weld  and  I  have 
very  nice  quarters  with  a  very  nice  family,  and  in  Munich, 
a  city  inferior  to  none  of  Europe  for  its  treasures  of  Art,  and 
with  Liebig  in  Science,  we  have  the  promise  of  a  most  pleasant 
as  well  as  profitable  time.  Baron  Liebig  is  now  out  of  town, 
but  returns  in  a  few  days.  I  shall  probably  attend  some 
lectures  on  mineralogy  and  other  sciences,  but  as  before  I 
shall  be  mostly  occupied  in  the  Laboratory.  My  money  has 
run  rather  low,  but  I  shall  get  along  very  well  until  July  or 
August,  and  perhaps  later,  and  then  I  shall  not  need  a  very 
heavy  sum. — 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  A.  A.  J.) 

July  3d.  1854. 

Dear  Father, —  ...  I  continue  to  enjoy  excellent  health, 
better  than  for  years, — better  than  last  year.  Everything 
goes  on  most  pleasantly  and  I  am  progressing  in  my  studies 
most  satisfactorily.  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  some  vines  of  my 
planting  are  growing  to  give  pleasant  shade  and  that  my  old 
Birch  tree  has  begun  to  be  evidently  alive.  .  .  .  Father  says, 
if  I  visit  Paris  call  on  ^Ir.  Le  R.  de  Chaumont,  etc.  It  is 
perhaps  time  that  the  question  of  my  further  movements  be 
discussed.  What  I  wish  to  do  is  one  thing,  what  I  can  do  is 
another.  My  mind  is  now  made  up  to  stay  here  until  next 
April  or  May.  Then  I  shall  have  finished  2  yrs.  Then  I 
shall  go  home,  of  course,  if  I  have  not  means  of  staying, — I 
should  be  a  fool  if  I  didn't.  But, — but, — I  think  I  ought  to 
stay  one  year  longer  and  if  I  saw  the  way  I  would  certainly 
stay  2  yrs.  Next  spring  I  shall  go  to  Paris  as  I  can't  leave 
Europe  without  seeing  that  city.  It  happens  that  the  attrac- 
tions of  Paris  are  as  great  in  science  as  in  fashion,  and  there 
are  a  dozen  great  men  there  with  any  of  whom  I  should  be 
proud  to  study.  There  is  also  to  be  a  Crystal  Palace,  or  World 
Exhibition,  opened  there  next  spring  and  for  these  reasons, 
as  well  as  for  acquiring  a  talking  use  of  the  French  language, 
I  want  to  stay  6  months  in  Paris.     My  education  would  be 


62        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

very  incomplete  without  it.  Again,  very  likely  the  best  open- 
ings for  me  at  home  will  be  in  the  way  of  Agriculture.  After 
my  2  1/2  yrs.  at  Chemistry,  I  want  to  spend  a  1/2  yr.  at 
Agriculture  more  exclusively.  For  this  Edinburgh  is  the 
place.  There  is  science,  and  in  the  vicinity  is  practice.  I  want 
6  months  in  England.  I  won't  say  anything  about  how 
inestimably  valuable  it  would  be  to  me  to  spend  another  year 
in  Germany.  When  I  think  of  Heidelberg,  and  the  great 
Bunsen ;  of  Berlin,  and  glorious  old  Heinrich  Rose, — my  heart 
or  stomach,  something  in  that  neighborhood,  aches.  I  have 
just  got  to  be  able  to  appreciate  and  enjoy  Germany.  I  have 
conquered  its  tremendous  language  in  so  far  that  it  gives  me 
no  trouble,  and  yields  me  great  positive  pleasure.  Today  I 
am  24  yrs.  old,  old  enough  to  know  more  and  to  be  more. 
My  calculation  would  bring  me  at  26,  another  year  in  Ger- 
many 27.  That  is  pretty  ancient  for  a  young  man.  But 
could  I,  I  would  spend  my  days  till  30  yrs.  in  this  glorious 
old  Europe.  But  I  ought  perhaps  to  go  home  and  put  a 
shoulder  to  the  wheels  of  progress  in  my  young  native  land — ■ 
with  all  her  youthful  stains  vastly  more  glorious  than  the 
monarchies  of  Europe.  What  shall  I  do  ?  Shall  I  stay  2  yrs. 
longer,  or  only  1  ?  Of  course  I  can 't  very  accurately  estimate 
the  necessary  expenses,  but  I  suppose  that  $500.  would  pay 
my  way  in  Munich,  take  me  on  a  visit  to  Paris,  and  bring  me 
home  about  a  year  from  this  time.  Living  in  Paris  and  Eng- 
land is  far  more  expensive  than  here,  and  I  should  probably 
need  $7-800  to  carry  me  through  the  3d  year.  I  need  to  know 
before  October  whether  I  can  stay  1  or  2  yrs.  longer,  because 
if  I  stay  2  yrs.  I  shall  study  French  here  next  winter  so  that 
I  shall  get  to  Paris  able  to  Parlez-vous  a  little.  I  am  very 
thankful  that  the  French  were  not  so  badly  confused  at  Babel 
as  the  Germans  were,  their  language  is  comparatively  small 
potatoes.  Now  my  friends  must  make  up  their  minds  what 
they  can  give  me.  I  have  no  desire  to  impoverish  the  good 
people  and  shall  appear  at  Deer  River  in  6  months  if  so 
ordered.     If  the  tune  is  $500,  I  shall  be  home  next  spring. 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUROPE  63 

As  to  the  money  next  to  be  sent,  it  is  all  the  same  to  me,  200, 
300,  500  dolls.,  either  sum  will  last  till  it  is  gone.  300  is 
enough  for  a  long  time.  I  can  take  care  of  more,  but  I  get 
no  interest  here,  and  that  may  be  worth  something  at  home. — 

(A.  A.  J.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

Deer  River,  July  28th,  1854. 

Dear  Son, — I  have  a  desire  to  live  to  see  you  established  in 
some  useful  station,  be  that  as  it  may,  I  hope  we  shall  both 
so  live  here  that  we  may  live  hereafter  where  there  will  be 
no  more  death,  I  believe  it  is  our  privilege.  I  also  desire  to 
live  to  see  your  young  sisters  come  to  mature  age  with  a  pros- 
pect of  their  usefulness  and  respectability.  You  express  a 
desire  to  stay  longer  in  Glorious  Old  Europe  than  the  two 
years.  That  depends  upon  circumstances.  If  I  live  and  can 
furnish  the  necessary  funds,  you  can  stay.  If  I  should  be 
taken  away  the  means  may  not  be  available  in  time  to  answer 
your  purposes,  as  the  obligations  in  my  possession  run  a  long 
time.  I  should  think  there  might  not  be  much  doubt  but  that 
you  might  have  funds  in  some  way  for  the  third  year.  I  hope 
that  with  the  last  remittance  you  will  be  able  to  get  along 
till  March  or  April,  but  you  must  be  furnished,  even  if  you 
need  sooner,  tho'  the  amount  set  apart  to  last  till  the  above 
mentioned  time  is  pretty  well  used  up  now. 

We  have  read  ten  of  your  letters  in  the  Country  Gentleman, 
of  considerable  length.  The  editors  crack  them  up  pretty  well. 
Love  from  all,  especially  your  Mother. 

(J.  C.  E.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

Lowville,  June  9,  1854. 

Dear  Samuel, — Your  April  letters  have  been  received  and 
read  and  re-read  by  all  the  connections  in  Deer  River  and 
here.  ...  I  have  fixed  upon  no  definite  course  for  the  future. 
I  have  thought  of  the  western  country,  but  Sarah  objects. 


64        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

If  money  was  the  only  thing  to  be  thought  of,  I  should 
not  hesitate  to  decide  that  as  the  best  course.  If  I  go 
with  a  view  of  making  money,  I  should  be  obliged  to 
go  to  some  new  part  of  the  country  where  anything  like 
decent  society  would  be  out  of  the  question.  The  pleas- 
antest  thing  I  can  think  of  would  be  something  like  the 
operation  you  and  I  once  talked  of  on  "Uncle  Abner's" 
flats.  What  would  you  suggest  as  best  for  us  to  do? 
July  27.  "Uncle  Abner"  and  Esther  have  just  been  here 
and  brought  your  June  letter  which  he  has  just  received. 
He  says  he  intends  to  enable  you  to  remain  3  years  at  least. 
.  .  .  Rather  than  have  you  fail  of  your  plans,  I  shall,  if  pros- 
pered, assist  you  some  myself,  so  go  ahead,  lay  out  the  ground 
work  large  for  a  big  edifice  and  do  not  trouble  your  head 
about  the  money,  for  I  believe  it  will  be  forthcoming. — "We 
can  hardly  be  reconciled  to  have  you  stay  away  so  long ! — .  .  . 
Your  friend  and  Brother,  J.  C.  Easton. 

(A.  A.  J.  TO  S.W.J.) 

Deer  River,  Octr.  4th,  1854. 

Dear  Son, —  .  .  .  Now  Samuel,  write  once  a  month  and 
I  will  willingly  pay  $1.20  postage,  or  more,  yearly.  It  seems 
a  great  while  since  you  left,  now  nearly  18  months,  and  to 
think  of  18  months  more  that  you  wish  to  stay !  What  changes 
may  take  place  is  known  only  to  Him  who  knows  all.  .  .  . 

I  forked  over  $293.  today  to  A.  S.  Goodrich  the  blind  man, 
for  a  pianoforte.  It  is  put  up  at  J.  C.  Easton 's  and  Esther 
is  performing  on  it.  The  railroad  companies  have  stopped 
work  in  these  parts.  The  Utica  Co.  will  complete  the  road 
to  Booneville  before  doing  anything  this  side.  Money  is 
scarce,  they  cannot  sell  their  bonds,  and  all  the  stockholders 
have  not  paid  all  the  calls.  I  have  paid  7  installments  of  10 
pr.  ct.  each  on  $400. — am  glad  I  took  no  more  stock,  $120 
will  finish  my  liabilities  and  if  I  lose  all,  can  get  along  a 
while.    Our  love  to  you. 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUROPE  65 

(S.W.J.  TO  A.  A.  J.) 

Munich,  Oct.  5 — 54. 

Dear  Father, — I  have  been  so  long  delaying  to  write  a  good 
long  letter  that  now,  seeing  no  immediate  prospect  of  getting 
ready  to  do  that,  I  take  this  slip  of  paper,  determined  to  fill 
it  and  send  it  off.  I  gave  accounts  up  to  the  middle  of  Aug. 
and  later,  I  believe,  in  my  last  to  Jason.  I  have  been  all  the 
time  in  Munich  and  have  been  mostly  (^uite  well,  am  now  very 
well.  The  cholera,  after  carrying  off  3000 — 3  pr.  ct. — of  the 
citizens  of  Munich,  has  been  officially  declared  to  exist  here 
no  longer  as  an  epidemic,  and  things  are  getting  lively  again. 
I  was  surprised  a  week  ago  by  a  call  from  my  old  friend 
James  Waring  who  hammered  through  St.  Lawrence  Co.  with 
me  4  or  5  years  ago.  He  has  been  travelling  through  Europe 
the  last  6  months.  He  staid  here  5  days  and  we  did  up  all 
the  Munich  sights,  and  they  are  neither  few  or  small.  .  .  .  My 
correspondence  with  Mr.  V.  Le  Ray  de  Chaumont  has  extended 
to  other  than  money  matters.  His  first  letter  was  French, 
I  answered  in  English.  He  wrote  me  this  summer  a  Yankee 
letter,  inquiring  about  the  navigation  of  the  Danube  near 
here.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  giving  him  some  information  he 
wanted.  I  commenced  yesterday  taking  instruction  in  glass- 
blowing  from  Mr.  Greiner,  a  celebrated  thermometer,  etc., 
maker  here.  I  go  again  today  as  soon  as  I  finish  this.  I  can 't 
neglect  so  good  a  chance  of  acquiring  some  skill  in  an  art 
so  useful  to  me.  The  next  semester  opens  in  3  weeks.  I  shall 
then  do  little  but  attend  to  Laboratory  work.  I  have  been 
studying  Agriculture  (German  Authors)  this  vacation  and 
shall  do  more  of  the  same  sort  of  thing. 

I  send  Mother  a  new  kind  of  Rose,  the  Munich  Rose.  They 
do  not  grow  except  in  their  native  city.  I  can't  get  a  slip, 
or  a  young  plant.  I  have  only  been  able  to  get  a  blossom. 
This,  although  somewhat  dry  and  flavorless,  is  yet  rather 
pretty  and  will  keep  a  long  time,  fully  retaining  its  colors. 
I  send  it  to  Mother  since  I  have  no  sweetheart  or  no  sweeter 


66        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

heart  to  whom  to  give  it.  In  constant  though  faint  expectation 
of  receiving  a  letter,  I  remain  as  dutiful  and  affectionate  as 
I  was  10  yrs.  ago,  Samuel. 

Mrs.  Abner  A.  Johnson  was  a  lover  of  flowers  and 
a  skilled  cultivator  of  them,  her  garden  containing 
many  little  known  varieties. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  A.  A.  J.) 

Munich,  Friday  Oct.  27,  1854. 

Dear  Father, — Today  rec'd  yours  mailed  at  Deer  River  the 
6  and  at  New  York  Oct.  10 — My  letters  to  Lowville  and  Deer 
River  (one  each)  have  probably  arrived  before  this  unless, 
as  may  be  the  case,  one  of  them  went  down  in  the  Arctic,  the 
loss  of  which  has  been  known, — or  reported, — here  some  week 
or  more  but  is  not  mentioned  in  the  latest  N.  Y.  papers  which 
arrived  today.  I  rec'd  the  money  all  right  in  time,  though 
at  a  rather  late  time.  It  occasioned,  however,  no  incon- 
venience. I  was  absent  from  Munich  when  it  came  and  it 
was  two  weeks  before  I  returned,  and  then  I  delayed  some 
days  in  order  to  get  up  a  decently  large  letter.  Munich  has 
recovered  its  usual  healthfulness.  The  lectures  of  Baron 
Liebig  commence  next  Thursday  and  the  laboratory  will  be 
open  for  work  on  next  Monday, 

I  wrote  some  month, — or  more  or  less, — ago  to  Easton 
mentioning  a  plan  I  had  of  employing  myself  when  I  get 
home,  a  plan  of  opening  a  school  of  Ag.  Science  in  connection 
with  Lowville  Academy.*  I  expect  shortly  to  hear  from  him 
and  the  rest  of  the  family  on  that  topic.  I  wrote  a  letter 
some  weeks  since  to  Father  enclosing  a  Munich  Rose  to  Mother, 
Has  it  arrived  ?  If  not,  I  will  get  another  slip.  In  my  letter 
to  Easton  I  talked  of  getting  home  next  summer,  and  so  it 
will  probably  be  best  to  make  it.    I  could  study  here  in  Europe 


*  Fifty-eight  years  later,  in  1912,  a  course  in  Agriculture  was  added 
to  the  curriculum  of  Lowville  Academy, 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUROPE  67 

quite  a  number  of  years  and  then  be  but  a  beginner,  besides 
the  expense  is  great.  In  about  18  months  I  have  spent  more 
than  $900.00,  and  I  am  a  little  frightened  to  think  of  what 
I  need,  or  think  I  need.  I  don't  want  to  impoverish  my  good 
friends  who  have  done  so  much  for  me — those  good  friends 
are  more  particularly  one,  familiarly  known  at  Deer  River 
by  the  title  of  Uncle  Abner.  At  the  same  time  this  is  certain, 
I  shall  never  be  a  student  again,  and  certainly  not  in  Europe 
when  I  once  get  back  to  the  U.  S.  It  would  be  a  little  relief 
if  I  had  some  prospect  in  view  of  employment  at  a  safe 
recompense;  then  I  would  borrow  some  money,  but  as  it  is 
I  think  I  must  go  home  and  go  to  work.  I  must,  however, 
travel  somewhat  next  spring  and  summer.  That  is  a  costly 
but  invaluable  way  of  learning.  I  must  study  French  des- 
perately the  next  five  months  and  then,  with  three  languages, 
I  can  profit  by  journeying.  I  can  then  take  the  chief  countries 
of  Europe  slick  and  clean.  Travel  is  especially  important 
for  me  if  1  go  into  Agricultural  Science  and  Practice,  and 
there  is  probably  the  best  chance  for  me.  My  expenses  this 
winter  will  be  rather  high;  that  is,  it  is  desirable  to  acquire 
a  good  deal  and  therefore  the  cost  will  be  a  good  deal.  I 
must  study  French  with  a  private  teacher  and  take  lessons 
a  long  time,  not  less  than  100.  Since  I  don't  live  in  France, 
I  must  buy  practice.  I  calculate  that  in  addition  to  my  pres- 
ent small  stock  of  funds,  I  shall  need  $150. — 325  gulden — to 
get  along  till  the  1st  of  April,  5  months.  This  is  just  $1.00 
daily.  Of  this  my  living  will  cost  me  135  fl.  or  $54.,  rather 
low,  leaving  $96.  for  Laboratory,  French,  Lectures,  Clothes 
and  all  other  incidental  expenses.  I  say  nothing  about  books, 
since  I  have  been  putting  my  last  remittance  pretty  well 
through  on  that  score  and  feel  rather  obliged  to  hold  up. 
Fortunately  I  do  not  need  to  buy  many  clothes.  My  present 
stock  is  nearly  sufficient.  This  allowance  is  rather  small, 
even  for  Munich,  but  I  shall  try  to  stick  to  it.  For  next  spring 
and  summer,  for  4  or  5  months  travel,  sending  home  my 
traps   and    getting   home    myself,    $600.    will    be    the    least 


68        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

figure.  Of  this,  I  shall  endeavor  to  make  arrangements  to 
raise  a  part  by  correspondence.  More  of  this  in  future  letters. 
Nov.  1st.  Tomorrow  the  Laboratory  is  again  open,  and 
Liebig  begins  the  winter  course  of  lectures. 

Nov.  2d.  Everything  is  very  dull,  dull,  very  tedious, 
tedious,  except  just  a  few  things  the  folks  don't  care  any- 
thing about.  I  can't  philosophize,  nor  moralize,  nor  senti- 
mentalize, my  head  is  full  of  ideas  that  are  only  interesting 
to  myself,  and  I  think  I  will  lay  aside  this  sheet  and  add  a 
few  lines  to  an  article  I  am  writing  on  Potato  Disease  for  the 
Country  Gentleman.  ...  As  to  the  time  and  manner  of 
sending  more  money,  I  leave  that  to  the  judgment  of  the 
Good  People.  Whether  a  bill  on  London  or  on  a  house  here 
is  best,  I  don't  know.  If  I  get  a  remittance  in  Jan.  or  Feb. 
it  will  be  time  enough.  If  the  money  can  be  had,  the  cheapest 
way  would  be  to  send  me  say  $400.  this  winter  and  then  I 
should  be  supplied  for  a  good  share  of  the  summer,  and  I 
could  receive  the  balance  in  London  or  Paris.  If  the  figures 
I  make  are  too  high  for  Father's  convenience,  why  then  I 
must,  and  of  course  shall,  regulate  my  plans  and  expenses 
according  to  what  can  be  furnished.  When  I  get  home,  if 
I  am  so  lucky,  I  shall  doubtless  be  able  to  return  something 
to  the  treasury  which  I  now  so  liberally  drain.  I  have  for- 
gotten to  say  anything  about  my  plans  of  starting  an  Ag. 
School,  but  in  my  last  I  have  said  enough. — 

(A.  A.  J.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

Deer  River,  Deer.  5th,  1854. 

Dear  Son, — Yours  mailed  5th  Novr.  was  received  on  Tues- 
day 28th.  I  wrote  to  J.  C.  E.  and  Sarah  that  evening  to  come 
on  Thursday  the  30th.  and  make  us  a  Thanksgiving  visit, — 
and  also  to  read  your  letter.  We  are  now  experiencing  the 
severity  of  a  Black-River  snow  storm.  Our  Rail  Roads  have 
come  to  a  standstill.  It  is  owing  to  the  want  of  money  in  this 
time  of  pressure.     Money  is  said  to  be  tight.     And  yet  if  a 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUROPE  69 

Farmer  has  cheese,  butter,  beef,  pork,  or  any  kind  of  grain 
or  cattle,  it  will  bring  the  money  at  a  large  price.  Cheese, 
9  cts.,  butter  21  to  22,  wheat  $1.75  to  $2.,  barley  $1.00,  corn 
87  cts.,  rye  the  same,  oats  50  cts.,  etc.  etc.  I  shall  try  to 
collect  together  $400.  some  time  next  month  to  send  to  you. 
What  interest  and  payments  are  coming  to  me  will  not  come 
before  March  to  April,  and  may  not  then,  although  I  shall 
expect  some. 

Had  you  not  better  look  to  some  professorship  in  some 
college  or  seminary  ?  If  you  wish  to  do  so,  can  you  not  obtain 
a  situation  through  some  of  your  literary  friends,  or  through 
Luther  Tucker  or  somebody  ?  You  speak  of  writing  "to  Easton 
about  opening  a  school  of  Agrl.  Science  in  connection  with  the 
Lowville  Academy,  he  has  not  received  it.  If  such  a  plan 
would  pay,  I  should  be  well  pleased  with  it,  if  not,  it  should 
be  let  alone.  The  Munich  Rose  was  received  in  your  October 
letter,  for  which  your  Mother  is  grateful  and  we  all  well 
pleased.    You  may  have  orders  for  more  of  the  same  sort. 

I  believe  you  do  not  wish  to  impoverish  your  friends.  I 
am  willing  to  deal  out  for  the  benefit  of  my  children  as  much 
as  I  can  prudently,  when  the  prospect  is  for  their  good  rather 
than  their  greatness, — though  none  can  be  truly  great  unless 
they  are  truly  good.  You  rightly  say  you  shall  not  any  more 
be  a  student, — I  suppose,  in  the  sense  you  are  now.  I  sup- 
pose you  always  mean  to  be  a  learner.  Traveling  anywhere 
is  expensive,  especially  in  Europe.  If  you  can  get  something 
for  correspondence,  it  will  help  so  much.  .  .  . 

Abby  and  Annah  say  they  want  to  see  you.  They  send 
their  love.  They  write  afternoons,  study  Colburn's  Arith- 
metic and  Smith's  Geography.  Should  you  live  to  come  home 
again  to  see  them,  they  will  have  altered  much.  Alay  Heaven 
bless  you  spiritually  and  temporally  is  the  prayer  of  your 
aflfectionate  parents. 

Abby  and  Annah  were  twin  sisters,  eight  years  old, 
the  youngest  of  the  family. 


70        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

(J.  C.  E.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

LowviUe,  8  Dec.  1854. 

Dear  Bro.  S. — Sarah  and  myself  have  been  enjoying  today 
a  visit  to  Deer  River.  Your  Father  has  just  been  reading 
your  letter.  I  am  glad  that  the  time  of  your  return  is  fixed 
so  near.  Not  that  I  am  anxious  that  you  should  be  cut  short 
in  the  valuable  opportunities  you  have  in  Germany  of  study, 
but  am  impatient  to  see  you,  the  time  seems  so  long.  I  am 
aware  that  the  advantages  you  are  having  in  Europe  are 
invaluable  in  the  prosecution  of  your  future  plans  and  will 
probably  make  a  very  great  difference  in  your  future  success. 
As  you  intimate,  it  is  getting  time  for  you  to  define  your 
position  on  the  great  stage  of  life.  It  is  not  wise,  considering 
the  shortness  of  human  career,  to  spend  too  much  time  in 
getting  ready  to  act.  We  should  never  cease  to  be  students, 
yet  to  be  students  merely  will  not  do.  Our  acquirements 
must  be  turned  to  practical  account.  .  .  .  Wouldn't  the  sit- 
uation as  State  Chemist  of  Massachusetts  be  a  nicer  thing 
than  the  Agricultural  School  you  speak  of  establishing  at 
Lowville?  If  we  were  to  remain  at  Lowville,  nothing  would 
please  me  more  than  to  have  you  here.  I  do  not  think  un- 
favorably of  such  a  plan.  .  .  .  But  government  patronage 

with  the  fat  appropriations  Mr. speaks  of  are  just  the 

tools  for  a  man  of  your  cloth  to  work  with.  With  such  a 
situation  you  will  be  "in  town."  Massachusetts  seems  to  be 
taking  a  high  stand  in  Agricultural  reform.  And  I  think 
there  is  no  part  of  our  country  more  favorable  for  the  prose- 
cution of  your  designs.  .  .  . 

Father  Johnson  received  yours  just  about  Thanksgiving 
Day.  So  Uncle  Abner  sent  to  Carthage,  got  two  turkies, 
visited  his  own  hen-roost,  and  got  up  a  Thanksgiving  feast 
for  his  children.  He  wrote  to  us,  but  unfortunately  I  was 
away  from  home  and  did  not  get  the  letter  until  it  was  too 
late.  Amos  and  Harriet,  Margaret  and  Silas,  being  of  the 
children,  were  there. 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUEOPE  71 

I  am  still  engaged  in  settling  up  my  business  and  intend 
to  go  west — to  look — about  April.  I  shall  be  home  ready  to 
see  you  when  you  come,  which  I  conclude  from  what  you 
say  will  not  be  later,  at  least,  than  August.  Should  life  and 
health  be  spared  to  us  till  then,  I  calculate  we  shall  have  a 
joyful  meeting.  Write  when  you  get  this  and  we  will  perhaps 
get  it  in  time  for  a  family  gathering  about  New  Year.  .  .  . 

"Amos  and  Harriet,  Margaret  and  Silas"  were  all 
valued  helpers  and  sharers  in  the  family  life. 

(S.W.J.  TO  A.  A.  J.) 

Dear  Father, — Aware  that  it  is  more  important  to  write 
often  than  much,  I  send  a  line  or  so  by  this  week's  mail — I 
continue  in  good  health  and  am  too  busy  to  know  any  news 
to  send.  ...  I  acknowledged  the  receipt  of  the  money  in  a 
large  letter  which  appears  to  have  sunk  with  the  ill-fated 
Arctic.  I  have  since  written  repeating  the  acknowledgment 
and  do  it  now  for  the  3d  time.  In  my  last  I  talked  about 
plans  and  wants.  I  am  rapidly  getting  short  of  funds,  but  am 
in  no  pressing  hurry,  although  I  ought  to  receive  at  least  a 
small  remittance  before  long  and  a  considerably  larger  one 
by  about  March,  as  at  that  time  I  must  pull  up  stakes  in 
Germany  and  move  westward  with  the  Star  of  Empire.  I 
regret  to  leave  Munich  so  soon,  and  would  so  like  to  stay  a 
year  in  Paris  and  a  time  in  England,  but  it  won't  do  to  think 
of  it.  In  my  last,  I  talked  about  my  plans  for  traveling.  If 
they  are  thought  too  expensive,  I  give  them  up.  I  feel  it 
almost  a  duty  to  buy  more  books,  but  I  can  also  forego  this, 
and  will  content  myself  with  visiting  Paris  a  few  weeks  in 
the  spring,  and  then  go  to  England,  and  after  a  few  weeks 
more  go  home — I  shall  then  have  been  two  yrs.  out.  Tell 
Mr.  Storrs  I  can't  possibly  find  time  to  fulfill  my  promise  to 
write  for  the  Northern  Journal.  The  short  time  that  remains 
I  must  improve  most  assiduously  if  only  to  accomplish  what 


72        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

I  have  already  undertaken.  The  Country  Gentleman  has 
published  all  it  has  rec'd  from  me,  and  I  don't  know  when 
I  can  write  more.  By  the  way,  my  article  on  analysis  of  soils 
has  been  translated  for  publication  here  in  the  Journal  of  the 
Bav.  Ag.  Soc.  Mr.  Brush  and  I  translated  last  summer  a 
little  book  of  Prof,  von  Kobell's  on  mineralogy.  The  manu- 
script has  arrived  at  New  Haven  and  Prof.  Silliman  has 
promised  to  attend  to  its  publication.  I  must  go  to  Lecture — 
Dec.  14,  8  A.M. 

Feb.  10,  55 — ^Yours  of  Jan.  5th  came  to  hand  two  weeks 
ago.  I  have  delayed  answering  in  order  to  acknowledge  the 
recp  't  of  the  $420  which  came  to  hand  yesterday.  It  amounted 
to  2193  francs  in  Paris  and  brought  me  1003  2/3  florins  here. 
The  florin  accordingly  costs  me  a  trifle  less  than  42  cts.  which 
is  very  fair.  Mr.  Le  Ray  de  Chaumont  writes  ''My  last 
despatches  bro't  me  notice  that  your  good  father  had  paid 
my  agent  $420  for  you,  etc."  He  makes  inquiries  as  to  the 
prospect  of  settling  Bavarian  emigrants  on  his  land,  etc.  He 
writes  a  genuine  American  letter.  I  continue  to  be  in  capital 
health,  as  are  all  the  American  Legation  in  the  gay  Bavarian 
capital.  Weld,  Eood,  Furness,  Furness,  Savage,  Blight, 
Irapson,  Emerson  and  Johnson  are  the  Americans,  and  Mus- 
pratt,  a  radical  Englishman,  goes  with  us.  All  capital  steady 
fellows,  and  jolly  withal.  I  have  been  translating  a  long 
article  of  Baron  Liebig  's,  at  his  request,  for  publication  in  the 
U.  S.  It  is  on  agricultural  chemistry  and  on  the  famous 
Experiments  of  Lawes  and  Gilbert  of  Rothhamsted.  I  have 
sent  it  to  Mr.  Tucker,  but  doubt  if  he  will  publish  it  for  various 
reasons.  It  is  very  long  (57  MS.  pages)  and  rather  uses  up 
Mr.  Lawes,  with  whom  Mr,  Harris,  the  new  assoc.  ed.  of  the 
Country  Gentleman,  lived  a  couple  of  years  as  assistant.  I 
have  directed  Mr.  Tucker  to  send  it  to  Sec'y  Flint  at  Boston 
in  case  it  is  not  wanted  for  the  Country  Gentleman,  and  it 
will  then  appear  in  some  other  periodical.  Mr.  William 
Furness  of  Philad.  is  an  artist  of  great  promise  now  studying 
here.    I  sat  to  him  for  my  portrait  which  he  has  taken  in  oil, 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUROPE  73 

and  which  the  fellows  say  is  a  good  hit.  He  wishes  to  send 
it  to  his  father  to  look  at,  and  it  will  get  around  to  Deer 
River  in  the  course  of  6  mos.  or  less.  I  shall  leave  Munich 
in  April  probably,  I  can't  say  definitely,  and  may  go  directly 
to  Paris  or  possibly  stop  a  few  weeks  at  Hohenheim  near 
Stuttgart  in  Wiirttemberg  to  visit  the  great  Agric.  School. 
"When  at  Paris  I  shall  be  able  to  decide  on  the  future. 
Stephen  A.  Johnson  writes  me  that  he  learned  from  a  recent 
letter  of  Father's  that  I  have  two  sisters,  one  of  16  yrs.  and 
another  of  13  yrs.,  and  asks  me  what  I  think  of  their  having 
an  English  education.  He  does  not  say  whether  he  had 
written  to  Deer  River  anything  about  it.  I  read  that  Eliza- 
beth has  a  lame  limb,  but  I  don't  know  whether  it  is  sister 
Elizabeth  or  sister-in-law  Elizabeth,  and  further  I  don't  know 
whether  it  is  a  little  finger  or  a  leg  that  is  lame.  In  either 
of  these  cases  I  hope  that  nature  may  be  left  to  cure  it,  and 
the  doctors  not  be  called  to  spoil  it.  And  now,  as  usual,  I 
don 't  know  what  to  write  about.  My  life  passes  in  the  labora- 
tory, and  I  can  write  nothing  about  it  that  would  interest 
anybody.  I  see  little  society.  Occasionally  I  am  invited  to 
dine  or  spend  an  evening  at  Prof.  Liebig's,  and  then  have 
very  pleasant  chat  with  his  accomplished  daughter,  now 
betrothed.  (All  the  young  ladies  are  betrothed  with  cere- 
mony some  1/2  to  5  yrs.  before  marriage.)  Occasionally  I 
visit  the  family  of  Prof,  von  Kobell,  and  talk  English  vdth 
his  three  daughters  who  speak,  besides  English  and  German, 
French  and  Italian  with  great  fluency.  Besides  these  two 
families  I  have  never  been  in  any  others  in  Munich.  I  write 
to  be  remembered  affectionately  to  all  the  relatives  and 
friends.  I  hope  before  another  half  year  to  get  back  home 
to  find  them  all  well  and  happy.  I  would  write  them  all  long 
interesting  letters,  but  I  can't  do  it.  Spirit  and  flesh  are 
weak.  The  evidences  of  my  friendship  are  to  work  hard  the 
little  time  that  I  have  yet  to  spend  here,  and  not  to  bother 
them  with  my  dull  letters. — 


74        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Answering  inquiries  made  by  Mr.  Le  Ray  de  Chau- 
mont  as  to  the  productiveness  of  his  lands  in  Croghan, 
New  York,  Mr.  A.  A.  Johnson  wrote : 

Deer  River,  20th  of  March. 

Dear  Son, —  .  .  .  Mr.  Le  Ray's  lands  are  not  generally  of 
very  good  and  strong  soil,  so  far  as  I  am  acquainted  with  them 
by  observation  and  general  reputation.  The  current  of  emi- 
gration sets  to  the  west  where  lands  are  already  cleared  of 
timber  mostly,  and  sell  at  $1.25  per  acre  and  three  or  four 
dollars  per  acre  will  fit  them  for  fine  crops,  therefore  his 
lands  cannot  compete  in  market  with  the  western  lands,  in 
climate,  nor  productiveness,  A  man  who  can  get  hold  of 
western  land,  say  80  or  160  acres,  and  pay  for  it  and  build 
some  kind  of  a  comfortable  dwelling  place,  in  a  few  years 
will  with  industry  and  economy  be  above  board;  while  the 
same  industry  and  economy  in  Croghan  will  find  him 
struggling  for  a  bare  subsistence,  he  will  probably  have  better 
health — and  that  is  of  great  account — but  people  in  their 
anxiety  for  this  world's  goods,  don't  value  their  health  as 
highly  as  they  wish  they  had  when  they  are  sick.  .  .  . 

We  hope  to  see  your  portrait  by  the  artist  Mr.  William 
Furness  of  Phila.  within  6  months,  and  the  original  too — and 
when  we  see  both  will  be  able,  for  ourselves  at  least,  to  judge 
if  it  is  a  good  hit.  I  have  received  two  letters  from  Stephen 
A.  and  answered  both,  in  his  last  he  wanted  my  daughter  16 
years  old  (Esther)  to  come  to  Manchester,  and  me  to  come 
with  her,  and  leave  her  there  to  be  educated.  I  wrote  to  him 
that  it  was  not  at  all  likely  she  would  go  or  I  either.  If  my 
daughters  could  have  all  the  advantages  this  country  affords 
for  education,  and  they  rightly  improve  them,  they  might 
be  quite  as  useful  as  many  European  ladies.  It  is  your  sister 
Elizabeth  that  has  a  lame  limb,  not  a  little  finger  but  her  left 
leg.  She  hobbles  about  with  a  cane.  When  it  will  get  well, 
time  will  tell.    She  is  now  using  a  little  Massina  spring  water, 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUROPE  75 

it  won't  do  hurt  if  it  does  no  good.  J.  C.  Easton  and  Sarah 
staid  with  us  last  night,  he  bro't  the  piano  and  it  is  set  up 
in  the  hall  and  Esther  plays  occasionally  on  it.  .  .  .  Our  love 
to  you.    Affectionately,  A.  A.  Johnson. 


(S.  W.  J.  TO  J.  C.  AND  S.  J.  E.) 

Heidelberg,  Apr.  21,  1855. 

Dear  Jason, — I  left  Munich  last  Wednesday  morning  and 
have  arrived  here  on  my  way  home.  I  enclose  to  you  several 
letters,  all  alike,  to  Am.  publishers.  By  reading  one  of  them 
you  will  understand  what  it  is  about.  I  don't  expect  this 
thing  will  take  to  such  a  tune  as  will  be  satisfactory  to  the 
Baron  Liebig.  ...  I  stayed  a  couple  of  days  at  Stuttgart 
and  visited  Hohenheim,  the  great  Ag.  School  of  Wiirttemberg, 
and  mail  today  a  letter  about  it  to  the  Country  Gentleman. 
— Not  to  talk  about  publicly — is  the  fact  that  it  is  slightly 
probable  that  I  may  be  appointed  chemist  to  the  State  Ag.  Soc. 
of  New  York,  also  that  probably  I  may  have  offers  to  conduct 
an  Extensive  Ag.  School  near  Philadelphia, — but  of  this  more 
hereafter.  I  shall  be  either  in  Paris  or  in  London  by  the  first 
of  May. — Extraordinaries  excepted.  Love  and  regards  to  all 
who  need  or  deserve. — 

Dear  Sarah, — I  send  you  this  little  engraving  of  Heidel- 
berg, the  beautifully  situated  and  romantic  old  touTi  where 
in  1386  the  first  Protestant  University  in  Germany  was 
founded,  now  one  of  the  most  celebrated  in  the  world.  Ahem ! 
Bad  sentence !  Go  on !  .  .  .  There  are  quite  a  number  of 
American  students  here.  Here  the  great  chemist  Bunsen  has 
the  finest  laboratory  in  the  world,  not  quite  done.  I  wish  I 
could  stay  and  work  with  him  this  summer,  but  this  is  out  of 
the  question.  Keep  this  picture  and  frame  it  in  the  style  I 
recommended  for  the  Munich  pictures.  .   .   .  Farewell, 

S.  W.  Johnson. 


76        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  A.  A.  J.) 

11  Victoria  Park,  Manchester,  Eng. 
May  26,  1855. 

Dear  Father, — I  am  at  last  in  England.  Arrived  here  two 
days  ago  from  Paris  where  I  have  been  living  three  weeks. 
I  wrote  last  from  Heidelberg  about  4  weeks  ago.  I  went  from 
there  down  the  Rhine  to  Rotterdam,  visited  the  principal 
cities  of  Holland  and  Belgium  in  a  hurry,  and  then  settled 
in  Paris  until  coming  here.  I  find  Cousin  Stephen  living  in 
nice  and  comfortable  style  in  the  suburbs  of  this  smoky  town. 
Victoria  Park  is  a  delightful  place,  a  perfect  English  garden. 
The  house  looks  out  in  all  directions  on  meadows,  gardens  and 
handsome  houses.  I  have  not  yet  looked  about  enough  to 
know  what  I  shall  do.  England  is  the  place  where  I  can 
learn  the  most  in  Ag.  matters  but  it  will  cost  an  awful  sight 
of  money;  shillings  and  crowns  here  are  like  kreuzers  and 
gulden  in  Germany.  I  believe  I  had  better  take  the  loan  of 
$500.  poor  Barnard  provided  for  me  and  remain  here  as  long 
as  I  can,  i.e.  if  possible  till  the  middle  of  Sept.  for  then  the 
British  Association  meets  at  Glasgow.  Prof.  Liebig  will  be 
there  and  would  put  me  through  a  little.  I  also  want  to 
attend  the  meetings  of  the  Royal  and  Highland  Ag.  Societies 
in  July. 

In  Paris  I  rec'd  from  Stephen  A.  $  50.00 

To  get  home  to  New  York  will  cost  by 

steamer  and  I  don 't  choose  to  go  any  other  way  150 .  00 
On  the  channel  coming  to  London  the  other 

night  I  felt  how  miserable  it  is  to  go  to  sea 

My  boxes  etc.  etc.  getting  them  to  whatever 
destination  I  decide  upon  will  cost  I  don't 
know  how  much,  but  probably  not  less  than 
fifty— say  50.00 

$250.00 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUROPE  77 

I  suppose  I  have  but  $400.  as  Father  promised, — there 
remains  $150.  for  my  stay  and  travels  in  England  which 
could  scarcely  last  one  month.  Add  to  this  $500.  and  we  have 
$650.  or  130£  with  which  I  can  circulate  some  time. 

In  my  last  I  wrote  about  what  Mr.  Tucker  communicated 
to  me  on  the  subject  of  becoming  chemist  to  the  Ag.  Soc.  of 
N.  Y.  It  need  not  he  mentioned  out  of  the  family  that  I  am 
wanted  at  Yale  College  as  1st.  assistant  in  the  Laboratory — 
with  a  salary  of  $700-800  and  prospect  of  shortly  rising  in 
station  and  salary.  This  would  of  all  things  please  me,  for  at 
New  Haven  I  should  enjoy  the  best  scientific  society  that  any 
place  in  the  U.  S.  furnishes.  One  and  probably  two  of  my 
friends  and  fellow  students  will  be  Professors  there  in  a  few 
years.    We  shall  see. 

May  31.  Today  I  saw  Dr.  Frankland,  Professor  of  Chem- 
istry in  Owen's  College  here.  I  shall  enter  his  Laboratory 
tomorrow  and  work  there  a  month  or  more.  This  will  cost  5 
guineas.  He  is  very  celebrated  in  gas  analysis,  and  that  is 
what  I  want  to  learn. — 

(A.  A.  J.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

Deer  River,  July  4th,  1855. 

Dear  Samuel, — Yours  dated  June  15th.  came  to  hand  on 
the  30th.,  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  £50,  $247.50,  for  which 
acknowledgment  so  promptly  made  I  thank  you,  and  hope 
when  you  receive  another  draft  you  will  as  promptly  do  the 
same.  I  went  to  Lowville  yesterday  and  purchased  a  draft 
on  some  bank  in  New  York  for  $500.,  for  half  of  one  per  ct. 
premium.  I  hope  you  will  be  able  when  you  receive  the  $500 
to  get  along  comfortably  with  it,  but  if  you  find  you  want 
some  more,  write  me  in  time.  I  speak  of  more  money  only 
in  case  you  require  more  to  carry  out  your  plans  for  future 
usefulness — and  feel  that  you  suffer  loss  for  the  want  of 
necessary  funds  to  complete  your  plans. 


78        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

I  remembered,  as  did  your  mother,  yesterday  as  the  25th 
anniversary  of  your  birthday.  Today  the  4th,  the  roar  of 
distant  cannon  and  the  prancing  of  horses  and  rattling  of 
buggy  wheels  ushered  in  the  anniversary  of  American  Inde- 
pendence the  79th.  While  I  write,  Abby  is  at  the  piano  play- 
ing and  singing  "Mary  at  the  Savior's  tomb."  Annah  can 
do  the  same,  Esther  Amelia  is  improving  quite  well,  only 
wants  practice  and  some  further  instruction  to  be  able  to  give 
lessons  to  others.  Elizabeth,  poor  lame  girl,  is  taking  lessons 
from  Esther  and  makes  some  proficiency.  Gilbert  and  Eliza- 
beth took  a  homemade  dinner  today  with  father  and  mother, 
and  the  twins,  and  hired  man  and  girl, — had  our  first  dish 
of  green  peas,  planted  26th  April.  Abby  and  Annah  send 
their  love  to  Brother  Samuel,  would  be  glad  to  see  him,  as 
would  all  of  us.  I  hope  you  may  next  fall  return  in  safety, 
and  find  a  good  situation.  Be  useful  and  happy  in  time, 
blessed  in  eternity,  is  the  prayer  of  your  parents  and  friends. 
Our  love  to  Stephen  A.  and  wife,  would  write  to  him  could  I 
find  anything  to  interest  him.  I  am  not  capable  of  writing 
other  than  business  letters,  and  poor  at  that.    Affectionately, 

A.  A.  Johnson. 

(S.W.J.  TO  A.  A.  J.) 

Carlisle,  England, 

July  25th,  1855. 

Dear  Father, —  .  .  .  Instead  of  writing  anything  about  the 
Show  here  on  this  greasy  paper,  I  will  mail  this  week  two  or 
three  papers  containing  an  account  of  the  performances,  and 
leave  the  folks  to  read  the  Country  Gentleman  for  what  little 
I  scribble  about  it.  I  am  stopping  at  a  nice  Temperance  House 
and  pay  $1.25  pr.  night  for  lodging.  Many  people  are  paying 
twice  that  money,  and  I  was  charged  that  at  the  place  I  first 
applied.  I  shall  probably  go  from  here  to  Edinburgh,  thence 
to  London  and  to  the  Ag.  College  of  Cirencester,  and  sail  in 
3  or  4  weeks. 


LIFE  AND  STUDY  IN  EUROPE  79 

Father  will  have  gathered  from  my  letter  by  the  last  steamer 
that  I  want  no  more  money  sent  across  the  Atlantic.  I  think 
that,  unless  for  the  sake  of  some  of  my  friends  who  have  so 
liberally  supported  me  abroad,  I  shall  not  avail  myself  of  the 
funds  left  by  Barnard,  That  matter  can  at  any  rate  be  left 
'till  I  get  home. — 


CHAPTER  III 

NEW  YORK  STATE  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY: 

THE  ''UNIVERSITY  OF  ALBANY":  YALE 

SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL 

In  January  1853,  Mr.  Tucker  of  the  Albany  Culti- 
vator published  the  first  number  of  the  Country  Gentle- 
man, which  soon  became  the  leading  agricultural 
journal.  It  exerted  a  progressive  force  as  an  active 
advocate  of  scientific  education  and  in  its  pages  are 
to  be  found  full  accounts  of  efforts  to  establish  the 
''University  of  Albany,"  whose  promoters  hoped  to 
attract  to  Albany  leaders  in  every  branch  of  science 
in  this  country — as  well  as  many  from  Europe — and 
to  found  a  great  university  which  should  include 
schools  of  pure  and  applied  science,  of  agricul- 
ture and  of  the  mechanic  arts,  as  well  as  the  ordi- 
nary departments  of  graduate  study.  These  plans 
were  urged  towards  fulfilment  in  the  columns  of  the 
Country  Gentleman,  and  Mr.  Tucker,  treasurer  of  the 
New  York  State  Agricultural  Society  and  personally 
active  in  work  for  scientific  agriculture,  did  much  in 
other  ways  to  disseminate  a  sound  knowledge  of  agri- 
cultural science.  Mr.  Johnson's  name  is  signed  to  an 
article  in  the  third  number  of  the  Country  Gentleman 
and  appears  afterwards  with  frequency,  the  last  time 
being  just  forty  years  from  the  date  of  his  first  contri- 
bution in  1847  to  the  Cultivator.  During  the  winter 
and  spring  of  1853,  a  series  of  articles  from  his  pen 
appeared  in  the  Country  Gentleman  under  the  general 


YALE  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL  81 

title,  "What  is  Science!"  As  soon  as  he  was  fairly 
settled  in  Germany  he  began  to  send  back  across  the 
water  accounts  of  the  scientific  agriculture  of  Saxony, 
and  also  translations  from  the  French  of  Ville  and 
the  German  of  Wolff. 

In  the  ninth  number  of  the  Country  Gentleman  is 
printed  ''Superphosphate  of  Lime,"  dated  from  New 
Haven,  February  1853.  In  this  article,  which  is  re- 
printed as  an  appendix  to  this  volume,  Mr.  Johnson 
discussed  the  value  of  certain  commercial  fertilizers  as 
shown  by  the  results  of  his  analyses  of  several  sam- 
ples procured  in  the  open  market  and  analyzed  by  him 
solely  to  show  the  public  utility  of  such  work.  The 
controversy  aroused  by  these  analyses  is  described  in 
a  letter  from  his  father,  October  1853 : 

I  suppose  you  do  not  receive  the  Country  Gentleman  or 

Cultivator?    If  you  do,  you  will  see  that  ]\Ir.  ^I 's  wrath 

is  stirred  against  you  by  your  analyses  of  his  superphosphate 

of  lime.     He  has  got  Prof.  E to  make  an  analysis  to 

prove  yours  to  be  false.     The  editor  of  the  Country  Gcntle- 

man  talked  to  Mr.  M ,  (for  disputing  you,  I  suppose). 

Mr.   M continued  to  rake  you  over  the   coals   until 

Professor  Porter  of  Yale  came  out  upon  him  and  said  he 
knew  that  Mr.  Johnson's  analyses  were  correct.  There  has 
been  considerable  ink  shed  on  paper  on  the  subject.  !Mr. 
Tucker  said  Mr.  Johnson  was  a  modest  young  man,  as  worthy 
of  the  title  of  Professor,  and  more  so,  than  some  who  wear  it. 
I  would  like  you  should  read  what  has  been  written  since  you 
left  dear  "Amerika"  about  you. 

Mr.  Tucker,  at  whose  instance  largely,  the  New 
York  State  Agricultural  Society  had  established  a 
laboratory  for  chemical  analysis,  came  to  the  defense 
of  his  absent  correspondent,  predicting  as  a  result 


82        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

of  his  **  thorough  devotion  to  this  branch  of  science 
and  his  sound  and  discriminating  sense,  a  brilliant 
career  of  usefulness  to  his  countrymen. ' '  Mr.  Tucker 
wrote  in  April  1854: 

I  presume,  from  your  not  alluding  to  it,  that  you  have 
neither  seen  nor  heard  of  the  controversy  which  grew  out  of 

the  publication  of  your  analyses  of  M 's  and  D 's 

superphosphate  of  lime.     I  shall  send  you  all  the  papers,  if 

I  can  find  them,  in  relation  to  it.    You  will  see  that  M , 

instead  of  publishing  your  letter  as  I  supposed  he  would 
with  his  thanks  for  the  credit  you  gave  his  superphosphate, 
chose  to  assail  your  motives  in  making  it,  and  made  an  effort 
to  prove  it  aU  erroneous.  I  do  not  think,  however,  that  your 
reputation  has  suffered  at  all  from  his  attacks. 

I  am  very  greatly  obliged  to  you  for  your  letters  and  shall 
be  grateful  for  any  more  sheets  with  which  you  may  favor 
me,  both  of  letters  and  translations ;  and  I  deeply  regret  that 
the  income  from  my  paper  will  not  warrant  me  in  offering 
you  such  compensation  as  you  deserve.  The  publication  of 
your  letters  will  serve  to  make  you  known  and  will,  I  trust, 
in  this  way  be  of  some  benefit  to  you ;  besides  this,  I  shall  try 
to  make  you  some  reward  for  them  hereafter. 

(L.  T.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

Albany,  March  6,  1855. 

Dear  Sir, — Your  favor  with  the  copy  of  Prof.  Liebig  's  work 
came  to  hand  on  the  2d.  inst.  .  .  .  — on  reading  it,  I  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  better  way  would  be  to  issue  it  in 
a  pamphlet.  .  .  ,  This  method  of  publication  I  trust  will  meet 
the  approbation  of  Prof.  Liebig  and  yourself.  I  shall  secure 
the  copy-right  for  your  benefit,  and  place  the  profits,  should 
there  be  any,  to  your  credit.  I  do  not  know,  of  course,  what 
the  demand  will  be  for  it,  but  I  hope  it  will  be  such  as  to  yield 
you  $50  or  so. 


YALE  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL  83 

After  the  receipt  of  your  plan  for  an  Ag.  School,  in  Nov. 
I  wrote  you  on  the  subject,  but  my  letter  must  have  failed  to 
reach  you,  as  you  call  my  attention  to  it  in  your  present  letter. 
Without  going  into  the  detail  of  what  I  then  said,  I  will  state 
the  conclusion  at  which  I  arrived,  which  was  that  your  ac- 
quirements were  too  valuable  to  be  expended  in  building  up 
what  could  hardly  fail  to  prove  a  mere  local  institution,  and 
that  I  hoped  a  way  might  be  opened  in  which  you  could  be 
more  satisfactorily  employed,  both  to  yourself  and  the 
public.  .  .  . 

My  plan  is  to  have  you  employed  as  Ag.  Chemist  to  the 
State  or  the  State  Ag.  Soc,  and  this  I  am  growing  more 
and  more  confident  can  be  effected  by  another  winter;  and 
it  might  be  done  now  had  we  a  laboratory  where  you  could 
work.  A  law  has  been  passed  for  rebuilding  the  old  State 
Hall,  which  will  be  done  the  ensuing  summer.  The  rooms 
for  the  State  Society  are  to  be  greatly  enlarged,  and,  as  I 
understand  it,  a  laboratory  is  to  be  fitted  up  for  their  use. 
Here  it  strikes  me  is  the  proper  place  for  you,  and  here  I 
hope  ere  long  to  see  you  permanently  established,  with  a 
comfortable  salary,  and  with  nothing  to  prevent  you  from 
devoting  your  talents  and  acquirements  to  the  advance- 
ment of  the  science  of  agriculture.  I  should  be  glad  to  hear 
from  you  on  this  subject  and  have  your  views  as  to  how 
you  could  in  such  a  situation  best  advantage  the  farming 
interest  of  the  State.  This  plan,  for  the  reason  I  have  named, 
cannot  be  carried  into  effect  until  another  year.  In  the  mean- 
time, the  Academy  at  Ovid  would  be  glad  to  get  you  to  take 
the  place  of  Mr.  Brewer,  who  leaves  them  in  May  to  go  to 
Europe.  .  .  .  Efforts  are  being  made  to  unite  with  this 
Academy,  Mr.  Delafield's  Ag.  College;  and  if  they  suc- 
ceed in  this,  you  are  just  the  man  they  would  want 
permanently.  .  .  . 

Neither  my  desire  to  promote  the  true  science  of  agricul- 
ture, nor  ray  appreciation  of  your  merits,  will  permit  me  to 
lose  sight  of  any  opportunity  by  which  I  think  the  joint  inter- 


84        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

ests  of  both  may  be  advanced.  Rest  assured,  therefore,  that 
I  shall  be  prepared  to  serve  you  as  efficiently  as  possible  when- 
ever the  proper  occasion  arrives,  believing  as  I  do  that  I  can 
thus   aid   the   progress   of   agriculture.     Very   truly   yours, 

Luther  Tucker. 

While  resident  in  Munich,  Mr.  Johnson  discussed 
some  subjects  of  permanent  interest  in  the  columns 
of  the  Country  Gentleman.  In  February  1854,  he 
brought  to  the  attention  of  his  readers  the  then  newly 
established  agricultural  experiment  station  at  Moeck- 
ern,  saying: 

The  great  utility  of  such  establishments,  and  the  hope  that 
the  organization  of  similar  ones  in  the  United  States  may  be 
encouraged  by  an  account  of  this,  induces  me  to  annex  a 
translation  of  the  important  features  of  the  statute  relating 
thereto,  and  approved  by  the  Saxon  government  about  a  year 
since.  .  .  .  "What  agriculture  most  needs  is  the  establishment 
of  its  doctrines, — not  the  proposition  of  fancies,  or  of  facts 
which  hold  good  for  this  or  that  township,  but  the  evolution 
of  a  general  theory,  applicable  everywhere.  .  .  .  The  basis  of 
doctrine  will  not  rapidly  unfold  itself.  It  must  be  unfolded. 
If  agriculturists  would  know,  they  must  inquire.  The  knowl- 
edge they  need  belongs  not  to  revelation,  but  to  science ;  and 
it  must  be  sought  for  as  the  philosopher  seeks  other  scientific 
truth.  When  farmers  contribute  to  the  carrying  on  of  inves- 
tigations having  for  an  object  the  discovery  of  the  laws  of 
culture  and  vegetable  growth,  and  conducted  by  minds  that 
bring  to  their  task  that  requisite  vigor,  skill  and  knowledge, 
then  light  will  flood  in  where  now  is  only  obscurity.  When 
Ag.  Societies  make  Experiment  Stations  their  care  and  pride, 
they  will  more  fully  and  legitimately  approach  the  accom- 
plishment of  their  end,  the  perfection  of  agriculture. 

While  appeals  to  Legislatures  have  been  made  in  vain  for 
the  endowment  of  agricultural  schools — while  the  means  of 


YALE  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL  85 

agricultural  instruction  are  comparatively  nothing,  and  of 
accurate  experimental  investigation  absolutely  wanting,  it 
remains  to  private  or  corporate  enterprise  to  open  the  way; 
and  this  is  no  unsafe  adventure ;  but,  with  no  need  of  extrava- 
gant outlay,  will  bring  an  ample  return.  The  active  minds 
of  Europe  are  united  in  their  expressions  of  admiration  and 
astonishment  at  American  progress,  but  here  the  means  of 
genuine  advancement  in  agricultural  knowledge  are  vastly 
superior  to  our  own.    How  long  shall  this  be? 

In  May,  he  defined  the  limitations  of  soil  analysis, 
and  refuted  the  popular  error  that  an  application 
which  should  restore  to  a  field  all  lacking  elements  of 
fertility  could  be  successfully  prescribed  by  means  of 
deductions  drawn  from  the  results  of  chemical  analy- 
sis of  the  soil  in  question : 

The  continued  recommendation  of  soil  analyses,  as  a  guide 
to  the  farmer,  makes  it  proper  to  discuss  at  length  their  prac- 
tical value.  As  a  means  of  developing  the  natural  laws  of 
growth  and  cultivation,  chemical  analysis  must  continue  to  be, 
as  it  has  been,  of  the  very  highest  importance.  A  few  years 
ago,  in  the  infancy  of  agricultural  science,  it  was  found  in 
many  cases,  that  analysis  indicated  correctly  what  improve- 
ments were  needed  by  soils ;  .  .  .  The  accumulation  of  knowl- 
edge on  these  topics  has,  however,  clearly  shown  that,  although 
it  is  often  true  that  the  analysis  of  a  soil  economically  indi- 
cates the  amendments  that  are  needful  to  make  it  productive, 
it  is  frequently  the  case  that  an  analysis  fails  altogether  to 
furnish  useful  indications;  and  if  its  results  are  valuable,  it 
is  often  the  ease  that  they  cost  more  than  they  are  worth,  or 
at  least,  knowledge  equally  good,  j)erhaps  better,  might  have 
been  far  more  cheaply  and  certainly  obtained.  .  .  .  Soil 
analysis,  at  the  best,  is  a  chance  game;  and  where  one  wins, 
a  hundred  may  lose.  A  soil-analysis  is  always  interesting, 
often  valuable,  rarely  economical.    It  may  amuse  the  amateur. 


86        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

and  instruct  the  philosopher,  but  for  the  farmer  its  value  is 
small,  if  he  has  to  pay  for  it.  It  is  only  by  the  application  of 
the  general  principles  which  may  be  developed  from  numer- 
ous analyses,  that  he  can  hope  to  be  directly  benefited. 

But  what  shall  the  farmer  do  ?  Shall  he  grope  in  the  dark  ? 
No !  But  let  him  beware  of  false  lights  which  are  now-a-days 
hanging  out  in  abundance.  Let  him  beware  of  taking  advice 
from  two  dangerous  characters, — the  conceited  farmer  who 
knows  a  little  science,  and  the  officious  philosopher  who  knows 
a  little  farming. — 

In  October,  he  wrote  on  the  practical  value  of  the 
analysis  of  plants: 

The  natural  history,  the  chemistry,  in  short  the  whole 
science  of  each  agricultural  plant,  must  be  made  the  subject 
of  careful  investigation.  The  knowledge  of  the  general  condi- 
tions of  vegetable  growth  has  arrived  at  a  pretty  high  state 
of  culture.  We  must  henceforth  seek  to  learn  those  special 
conditions  which  determine  the  utmost  development  of  indi- 
vidual species.  Science  and  Practice,  the  laboratory  and  the 
farm,  have  this  business  to  perform  together.  Every  plant 
can  be  put  into  such  circumstances  as  will  make  it  tell  what 
it  needs  for  its  successful  growth.  .  .  . 

I  trust  that  in  this  and  a  preceding  article,  I  have  written 
nothing  to  discourage  Agricultural  Education,  or  destroy  the 
farmer's  confidence  in  science.  If  any  one  promulgates  false 
doctrine  in  the  name  of  science,  he  will  be  found  out  in  time. 
Truth  remains  and  has  a  permanent  value,  no  matter  who 
defends  or  opposes  it.  My  object  has  been  to  define  the  limits 
within  which  chemical  analysis  cannot  be  practically  applied. 
I  desire  to  give  chemistry  all  the  credit  it  deserves,  and  have 
too  much  regard  for  that  beautiful  science  to  bring  upon  it 
future  contempt  by  loading  it  with  present  adulation. 

In  a  letter  written  from  Stuttgart,  April  1855,  pub- 
lished as   "Foreign   Correspondence,"   Mr.   Johnson 


YALE  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL  87 

described  the  Academy  of  Agriculture  and  Forest 
Culture  at  Little  Hohenheim,  at  that  time  almost 
unknown  in  America: 

The  pupils  are  mostly  from  wealthy  families.  A  finer  set 
of  young  men  I  have  not  seen  elsewhere  in  Europe.  They 
are  described  as  full  of  zeal  in  the  prosecution  of  their  studies, 
and  when  contemplating  their  animated  and  intelligent  coun- 
tenances, I  could  but  hope  that  the  day  will  shortly  come  when 
the  United  States  shall  also  engage  her  intelligent  sons  in 
similar  preparation  for  similar  duties.  Most  of  the  graduates 
of  this  Academy  are  afterwards  occupied  with  the  manage- 
ment of  great  estates.  .  .  ,  My  stay  in  Hohenheim  was  ren- 
dered peculiarly  agreeable  by  the  kind  attentions  of  Prof. 
Wolff,  whose  acquaintance  I  had  made  in  Moeckern,  near 
Leipsic.  Hohenheim  has  never  had  until  now  a  man  among 
its  faculty  who  has  united  eminent  scientific  ability  with  prac- 
tical knowledge.  It  has  been  fortunate  for  the  Academy  that 
practice  has  hitherto  held  there  such  dominant  sway.  It  is 
equally  fortunate  for  it  that  it  now  has  a  teacher  who  is  able 
to  show  that  practice  and  science  harmonize  in  most  points, 
and  who  labors  not  so  much  to  immortalize  himself  by  pro- 
pounding and  defending  ingenious  theories,  as  to  advance 
practical  agriculture  by  attempting  the  solution  of  the  prob- 
lems that  are  encountered  in  daily  life. 

Prof.  Wolff  has  had  fitted  up  a  spacious  though  simple 
Laboratory  in  which  he  instructs  a  goodly  number  of  the 
pupils  in  chemical  analysis.  He  finds  that  when  the  course  is 
rightly  conducted,  it  proves  highly  interesting,  as  it  cannot 
fail  to  be  highly  profitable  for  the  pupils.  It  is  in  the  Labora- 
tory, and  from  the  teachings  of  the  capable  agricultural 
chemist  that  agriculture  is  to  make  rapid  advances  in  its 
doctrines  and  literature,  while  from  practical  instruction,  the 
existing  good  systems  are  to  be  brought  into  general  appli- 
cation. Hohenheim  has  hitherto  been  efficient  in  diffusing 
agricultural  knowledge;  hereafter  it  cannot  fail  to  become 


88        LETTEE-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

as  eminent  for  discovering  new  truths,  which  shall  make  itself 
progressive  as  it  now  makes  Wiirttemberg  and  the  surrounding 
countries  so.  .  .  . 

Hohenheim  is  doubtless  the  best  school  of  agriculture  that 
exists,  and  the  agriculturists  of  the  United  States,  who  are 
founding  agricultural  colleges,  etc.,  will  do  well  to  send  out 
a  few  young  men  to  take  the  course  here,  as  part  preparation 
for  stations  as  teachers  at  home. 

During  the  latter  months  of  Mr.  Johnson's  residence 
in  Leipsic,  a  warm  friendship,  based  upon  the  similar- 
ity of  their  aims,  sprang  up  between  himself  and  his 
fellow  student,  Mr.  Pugh.  Evan  Pugh,  at  the  age  of 
nineteen,  was  a  blacksmith's  apprentice.  He  bought 
the  residue  of  his  time,  supported  himself  and  studied 
for  a  year;  then,  having  fallen  heir  to  a  small  estate 
in  Oxford,  Pennsylvania,  which  included  the  rather 
unusual  adjunct  of  an  academy,  he  taught  this  school 
for  two  years.  In  1853  he  sold  his  school  which  had 
prospered  under  his  management,  and  went  abroad 
for  study.  When  Mr.  Johnson  left  Leipsic  for  Mu- 
nich in  May  1854,  a  correspondence  on  scientific  mat- 
ters began  between  Mr.  Pugh  and  himself  which  was 
only  terminated  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Pugh.  The  letters 
of  Mr.  Johnson  were  unfortunately  destroyed,  but  Mr. 
Pugh's  earliest  letters,  written  from  Leipsic  in  1855, 
contain  his  response  to  Mr.  Johnson's  proposal  that 
they  together  should  establish  in  America  an  agricul- 
tural school: 

In  reply  to  your  questions  with  regard  to  Am.  Agricultural 
School. —  ...  I  sympathize,  to  the  fullest  extent  with  the 
spirit  of  the  enterprise  you  propose.  .  .  .  With  respect  to 
your  distribution  of  the  studies  and  the  length  of  the  term, 
you  are  in  advance  of  my  plans.  ...  To  sum  up:  I  enter 


YALE  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL  89 

with  heart  and  hand  into  the  spirit  of  your  proposal  excepting 
that  I  would  rather  delay  at  least  one  year  (to  Sept.  1857). 
...  Of  the  success  of  the  institution  I  have  no  doubt  if  it 
once  gets  started  on  the  basis  you  propose. 

In  the  summer  of  1855,  Mr.  Johnson  went  to  Eng- 
land, where  he  studied  methods  of  gas  analysis  under 
Frankland,  and  also  traveled  and  observed  English 
agriculture.  Letters  from  America  kept  him  informed 
of  the  movement  of  affairs  in  New  Haven.  As  the 
result  of  plans  formulated  between  the  years  1853 
and  1855  for  the  development  and  organization  of  the 
hitherto  loosely  connected  elements  of  the  Department 
of  Philosophy  and  the  Arts  of  Yale  College,  the  stu- 
dents in  the  Analytical  Laboratory  and  the  classes  in 
Engineering  were  associated  together  in  1854  under 
the  name  **Yale  Scientific  School,"  and  at  a  meeting 
of  the  Yale  Corporation  on  July  24,  1855,  the  nomina- 
tion of  George  Jarvis  Brush*  as  professor  of  Metal- 


•  Professor  Brush's  life  work,  the  development  and  guidance  to 
an  assured  position  of  the  ShefTield  Scientific  School,  is  known  wherever 
the  name  of  the  school  is  known.  The  seemingly  accidental  way  in  which 
he  became  a  man  of  science  is  interesting.  Professor  Brush's  father, 
Mr.  Jarvifl  Brush  of  Brooklyn,  was  a  successful  merchant  who,  when 
he  found  that  the  indoor  life  of  a  business  man  was  likely  to  impair 
the  health  of  his  son,  sent  him  to  the  Cream  Hill  Agricultural  School 
to  study  scientific  farming  under  an  old  friend.  Dr.  8.  W.  Gold. 
Through  the  interest  taken  by  Dr.  Gold  and  his  son,  Mr,  T.  S.  Gold,  in  the 
teaching  of  Professor  J.  P,  Norton  at  the  "School  of  Science"  in  New 
Haven,  George  Jarvis  Brush  went  to  New  Haven  and  was  a  member  of 
the  first  class  to  receive  the  degree  of  Ph,B,  from  Yale,  Mr.  Brush's 
marked  business  and  executive  talent,  as  well  as  his  scientific  ability,  was 
early  recognized.  He  became  director  of  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School 
in  1872,  and  remained  its  official  head  until  his  resignation  in  1898,  Hia 
success  in  a  task  which  the  temper  of  the  time  made  one  of  peculiar 
difficulty  and  delicacy  was  conspicuous.    His  business  capacity  and  sound 


90        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

lurgy  was  confirmed,  and  Samuel  William  Johnson  was 
appointed,  not  as  he  had  hoped  and  as  the  faculty  had 
recommended,  assistant  professor,  but  merely  first 
assistant  in  the  Analytical  Laboratory. 

Mr.  Brush,  who  was  then  in  Freiberg,  wrote  on 
May  13,  to  Mr.  Johnson : 

Silliman  says  we  have  $250  income  from  the  Sheffield  fund 
and  $300  from  the  Labt.  itself,  and  as  Barnard  has  left  $20,000 
the  income  of  which  will  be  devoted  to  charitable  and  educa- 
tional purposes,  Silliman  is  in  hope  of  getting  $250  or  $300 
per  annum  in  case  you  should  take  the  place  of  Asst,  at  Yale, 
making  in  all  quite  a  decent  salary  to  commence  on.  .  .  .  S. 
says  "no  effort  of  mine  will  be  wanting  to  that  end."  .  .  . 
Dana  adds  ''I  have  no  idea  that  the  school  will  ever  flourish 
until  there  is  some  one  in  it  who  has  so  much  zeal  for  science 
that  he  cannot  help  but  work  in  it,  in  researches  of  one  kind 
or  another."  ...  So  you  see,  Sam,  that  we  have  the  confi- 
dence of  the  Profs.,  and  I  trust  we  shall  be  able  to  make  things 
move  when  we  return  home.  We'll  see  whether  we  cannot 
revive  things  and  inspire  some  new  life  in  the  School. 

(B.  S.  Je.  to  S.  W.  J.) 

July  2,  1855. 

My  dear  Sir, — I  have  the  pleasure  to  inform  you  that  you 
have  been  nominated  Assistant  Professor  of  Chemistry  in  the 
Yale  Scientific  School  and  as  soon  as  your  appointment  has 
been  confirmed  by  the  Corporation,  which  will  be  on  the  26 
of  July,  you  will  have  official  notice  of  it.  We  have  for  the 
present  decided  to  offer  you  as  salary  six  hundred  dollars  pr. 


judgment  contributed  largely  to  the  result;  but  the  fact  that  he  was  a 
trained  man  of  science,  holding  an  honored  place  in  his  profession, 
enabled  him  to  wield  an  influence  and  to  accomplish  what  would  have 
been  impossible  to  one  who  lacked  this  important  qualification. 


YALE  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL  91 

annum ;  as  an  officer  of  the  College  you  will,  I  suppose,  be  en- 
titled to  a  room  in  the  College  buildings  if  you  wish  to  use  it, 
and  you  can  eke  out  your  salary,  should  you  wish  to  do  so,  by 
private  instruction  in  the  schools. 

Your  name  appears  in  the  July  No.  of  the  Journal  as  Assist- 
ant, which  liberty  I  hope  you  will  pardon.  Prof.  Porter  and 
myself  are  responsible  for  your  salary,  but  $200  or  $250  will 
be  the  income  of  a  permanent  fund,  the  remainder  if  not 
earned  by  the  Laboratory  will  be  made  up  by  us.  We  are 
sorry  to  be  obliged  to  offer  you  so  inconsiderable  a  sum,  but 
as  you  know  the  Laboratory  is  unendowed,  and  we  are  forced 
to  make  it  pay  its  own  expenses,  i.e.  salaries  of  yourself  and 
Mr.  Chas.  Porter  and  the  material  and  apparatus,  fuel  and 
servant,  etc.  For  ourselves  we  do  not  expect  to  draw  a  dime 
from  it,  and  shall  consider  ourselves  fortunate  if  we  do  not 
have  to  make  up  a  considerable  deficit.  With  the  new  organi- 
zation, however,  we  hope  for  a  new  vitality  in  the  condition  of 
the  Laboratory.  The  new  system  of  instruction  in  the  Senior 
Class  by  which  recitations  are  substituted  for  lectures  in  the 
proportion  of  24  of  the  former  to  36  of  the  latter  will,  when 
it  comes  into  full  play  the  ensuing  winter,  develop  all  the 
chemical  talent  that  there  is  in  the  class,  and  no  doubt  induce 
some  to  enter  the  Analytical  Laboratory  who  other\vise  would 
not  do  so.  Mr,  Chas.  Porter,  who  is  the  second  in  authority, 
yourself  being  first,  will  take  the  commercial  analyses  and 
aid  you  in  such  things  as  you  may  desire.  During  the  first 
term  I  shall  have  3  exercises  daily  with  the  general  class,  and 
can,  of  course,  devote  no  time  to  instruction  in  the  Analytical 
Laboratory.  But  in  the  2d  and  3d  terms  I  shall  undertake 
to  give  instruction  in  mineralogy  and  in  technical  chemistry. 
Until  Brush  comes  home  in  the  fall  of  '56  we  shall  hardly  be 
able  to  make  our  scheme  complete,  and  shall  hold  ourselves 
open  for  a  remodeling.  .  .  .  The  old  laboratory  is  in  a  good 
deal  of  a  dilapidated  condition  and  needs  repairs  very  much. 
These  we  shall  hope  to  make  in  vacation. — Yours  truly, 

B.  Silliman,  Jr. 


92        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Professor  Brush,  on  August  17,  expressed  his 
pleasure  at  Mr.  Johnson's  appointment: 

Your  note  of  the  4th  was  reed,  a  few  days  since.  I  am  glad 
to  hear  that  you  are  so  pleased  with  the  idea  of  going  to 
Yale.  .  .  .  Things  will  go  on  swimmingly  when  you  take  com- 
mand of  the  old  Lab.  .  .  .  You  will  have  hard  work,  but  I 
am  sure  you  will  enjoy  it.  Don't  injure  your  health  by  over- 
work. When  we  all  get  back  and  start  our  team  in  good 
earnest  I  think  we'll  be  able  to  do  "some  pumpkins,"  if  not 
more.  Liebig  is  rejoiced  to  hear  that  you  have  an  appoint- 
ment, Rood  says  he  was  so  tickled  that  he  came  all  the  way 
in  the  Labt.  on  purpose  to  tell  him  of  it.  .  .  .  But  you,  my 
dear  boy,  will,  I  hope,  be  so  situated  that  you'll  have  plenty 
of  time  for  pure  science.  You  have  a  splendid  field  before 
you.  Scientific  Agriculture  is  your  Liebling,  and  you  are 
bound  to  stand  No.  1  in  your  profession.  .  .  . 

In  August  1855,  Mr.  Johnson  returned  to  America 
and  to  the  Yale  Scientific  School.  He  superintended 
the  laboratory,  gave  instruction,  collected  fees,  paid 
the  expenses,  and,  when  needful,  tended  stoves,  washed 
apparatus  and  swept  up  the  floor.  On  October  11,  he 
wrote  to  his  mother: 

I  should  have  written  before,  but  I  am  unaccountably  busy. 
The  Laboratory  has  been  in  a  sadly  run-down  condition  and 
I  have  hardly  got  it  to  rights  again  as  yet.  News  I  have 
none.  ...  I  am  well  and  happy,  i.e.  busy. 

On  November  18,  he  expressed  his  disapproval  of 
the  conditions  under  which  he  had  taken  charge  of 
the  laboratory  in  a  letter  to  Professor  Brush.  The 
letter  is  not  in  existence,  but  the  tenor  of  his  remarks 
may  be  inferred  from  comments  in  the  reply: 


YALE  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL  93 

(G.  J.  B.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

I  am  very  sorry  to  hear  that  you  find  yourself  so  unpleas- 
antly situated  in  the  Labt.,  that  is,  that  you  are  obliged  to  be 
1st  Asst.  without  the  title  of  Asst.  Profr.,  and  besides  have 
the  responsibility  of  filling  the  offices  of  4th  Asst.  and  Labora- 
tory servant.  The  idea  that  a  man  of  your  qualifications 
should  be  obliged  to  be  bottle  washer  is  absurd  enough.  Silli- 
man  writes  me  that  the  Labt.  is  full,  if  so  they  can  afford,  or 
rather  they  must  afford,  to  have  some  one  to  attend  to  bottle 
washing  and  making  of  reagents.  Tin  must  be  raised  and 
the  present  faults  remedied.  I  wish  I  was  home  to  work  with 
you,  it  would  be  much  greater  pleasure  to  me  than  remaining 
here.  But,  Sam,  I'll  be  home  about  this  time  next  year,  and 
I  hope  that  things  will  be  so  arranged  that  you  will  "stand 
by  the  old  shell"  until  that  time.  I  know,  Sam,  that  it  will 
be  a  little  up  hill  at  first,  but  I  am  sanguine  that  we  can  build 
up  a  better  chemical  and  mineralogical  school  at  New  Haven 
than  at  any  other  point  in  America.  You,  unfortunately,  have 
the  first  and  perhaps  the  largest  tug  at  the  hard  work,  but  I 
hope  you  won 't  give  up.  I  know  that  Dana  and  Silliraan  feel 
the  vital  importance  of  having  you  remain,  and  are  provoked 
beyond  measure  at  the  stupidity  of  the  Corporation's  blunder 
of  not  giving  you  the  title  they  (the  Profrs.)  had  intended. 

You  must  speak  freely  and  openly  about  the  Labt.  to  Dana 
and  Silliman,  tell  them  what  the  faults  are  and  what  are  the 
remedies.  You  have  no  idea  what  a  high  estimate  they  put 
upon  your  opinion.  Your  weakness,  my  dear  Samuel,  is  ex- 
treme modesty,  put  a  manly  face  on  the  subject  and  speak 
out  your  sentiments,  and  you  may  be  sure  they  will  meet  with 
the  deep  consideration  which  they  deserve.  .  .  .  Stand  by,  old 
fellow,  and  my  word  for  it  you'll  not  regret  it.  You  must 
have  a  Professorship,  and  it  must  be  endowed. 

Mr.  Johnson  found  New  Haven  a  delightful  place  of 
residence,  but  he  felt  the  absence  both  of  opportunities 


94        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

and  facilities  for  doing  the  special  work  for  which  he 
had  so  laboriously  prepared  himself.  This  dissatis- 
faction led  him  to  look  for  a  position  elsewhere;  he 
was  seriously  considering  the  possibilities  of  an  agri- 
cultural school  in  Pennsylvania,  which  might  give  him 
the  field  he  wanted  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  Pugh,  and 
also  employ  the  business  talents  of  his  brother-in-law, 
Mr.  Easton,  who  was  still  hesitating  before  breaking 
all  family  ties  in  the  East  and  casting  in  his  fortunes 
with  the  newly  opened  Northwest.  In  this  connection 
Mr.  Easton  wrote : 

If  there  is  a  reasonable  probability  of  doing  what  you  sug- 
gested with  your  Philadelphia  friend  and  ray  services  are 
wanted  at  a  reasonable  living  price  for  the  farming  and  busi- 
ness department,  I  shall  hold  on  and  look  to  that  as  my  future 
business.  Of  course  you  have  nothing  tangible  as  yet  on  the 
subject.  ...  I  see  your  things  in  the  Country  Gentleman. 
Go  ahead,  agricultural  science  is  your  missionary  field  and 
you  are  responsible  to  the  amount  of  some  talents  for  its 
cultivation.  You  are  making  some  reputation  by  your  posi- 
tion at  Yale  College,  and  still  more  perhaps  by  your  articles 
in  the  papers.  This  is  all  right  and  I  am  proud  of  it.  I 
expect,  if  you  live,  to  see  you  some  one  of  these  days. 

When  Mr.  Johnson  visited  Albany  in  September, 
he  found  Mr.  Tucker  and  his  other  friends  in  the 
New  York  State  Agricultural  Society  still  anxious  that 
he  should  join  their  working  force  in  that  city.  This 
society  had  been  founded  in  1832  by  J.  D.  Le  Ray  de 
Chaumont;  from  the  first  it  counted  among  its  mem- 
bers men  who  believed  in  the  possibilities  opened  by 
science  to  the  advancement  of  agriculture.  When  the 
work  of  Justus  von  Liebig  began  to  be  known  in  this 
country,  and  it  became  evident  that  chemistry  was  to 


YALE  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL  95 

revolutionize  the  conception  of  the  processes  involved 
in  plant  growth  and  of  the  nature  and  sources  of  food 
needful  for  the  growing  plant,  these  few  far-seeing 
men,  who  realized  what  might  be  accomplished  for 
agriculture  through  chemical  knowledge  and  experi- 
mentation, had  quietly  set  about  the  work  before  them. 
Through  their  efforts,  in  1840,  the  New  York  State 
Agricultural  Society  adopted  a  new  constitution  and 
secured  a  Legislative  appropriation  of  $8000  per 
annum.  In  1857,  contrasting  the  conditions  in  New 
York  with  the  apathy  in  Connecticut,  Mr.  Henry  A. 
Dyer  said: 

In  New  York  the  Agricultural  Society  is  the  institution 
of  the  State  that  all  political  parties  delight  to  know,  and 
the  strife,  so  far  as  it  is  concerned,  between  rival  factions  is 
which  shall  give  itself  the  best  hold  upon  the  general  appro- 
bation of  the  State  at  large  by  most  heartily  advancing  the 
operations  of  the  Agricultural  Society, 

Dr.  Ezra  S.  Carr,  chemist  to  the  New  York  State 
Agricultural  Society,  was  also  actively  engaged  in 
furthering  plans  for  the  great  university.  During  the 
fall  and  Avinter  of  1855,  Mr.  Tucker  and  Professor 
Carr  were  in  frequent  correspondence  \s'ith  Mr.  John- 
son concerning  the  future  prospects  of  the  ''Univer- 
sity of  Albany"  and  the  State  Agricultural  Society, 
and  their  wish  that  he  should  leave  New  Haven  for 
Albany.    On  October  1,  1855,  Professor  Carr  inquired: 

"Would  it  be  agreeable  for  you  to  come  to  Albany  if  some 
satisfactory  arrangement  could  be  made?  At  present  I  am 
chemist  to  the  State  Ag,  Soc.  They  will  fit  up  a  Laboratory 
in  the  new  State  building  the  coming  winter  which  ^vill  afford 
all  the  facilities  of  a  private  laboratory  for  analysis  in  re- 


96        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

search.  The  laboratory  at  the  Med.  Col.  will  answer  all  pur- 
poses of  instruction.  There  are  no  fees  connected  with  the 
office  of  chemist,  excepting  the  charges  made  for  chem. 
analyses,  etc.  A  good  Lab.  however  will  be  furnished  free 
of  expense,  and  I  think  it  probable  that  hereafter  an  appro- 
priation may  be  obtained  for  researches  in  agricultural 
chemistry.  .  .  . 

I  do  not  know  how  remunerative  this  would  be ;  but  it  has 
occurred  to  me  that  perhaps  some  connection  (as  a  writer  for 
the  Cultivator)  which  you  might  form  with  Mr.  Tucker, 
together  with  the  laboratories,  might  yield  a  living  compen- 
sation. 

A  few  days  later  he  wrote  again  on  the  same  subject, 
saying : 

I  have  no  doubt  that  your  income  the  first  year  would  be 
sufficient  to  defray  your  expenses,  giving  you  at  the  same 
time  all  of  the  advantages  you  could  desire  in  the  way  of 
opportunities  to  pursue  your  own  chemical  investigations.  I 
should  be  happy  to  give  you  all  of  the  advantages  which  a 
connection  with  the  State  Agricultural  Soc.  would  afford,  or 
my  own  Laboratory  at  the  Med.  Col.  for  giving  instruction, 
etc.  It  would  give  me  pleasure  to  have  you  come  here  to 
reside,  and  I  should  like  to  see  and  confer  with  you  in  refer- 
ence to  the  matter  should  you  find  it  convenient. 

Mr.  Luther  Tucker,  who  had  long  mshed  to  devise 
some  means  by  which  Mr.  Johnson  might  be  enabled 
to  go  to  Albany  and  begin  work  there  in  the  field  of 
scientific  agricultural  education  while  waiting  for  the 
endowment  which  they  all  hoped  would  soon  make 
the  ** University  of  Albany"  a  reality,  wrote  these 
friendly  words  at  the  time  of  an  official  invitation  to 
speak  before  the  New  York  State  Agricultural  Society : 


YALE  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL  97 

I  hope  you  will,  if  possible,  accept  the  invitation  that  you 
may  thus  become  known  to  our  Society.  I  brought  the  sub- 
ject today,  for  the  first  time,  of  your  employment  as  State 
Chemist,  before  the  Board  in  an  informal  manner.  It  was 
well  received.  ...  In  the  mean  time,  if  you  can  give  us  the 
proposed  address  it  will  help  us  along  very  essentially. 

In  response  to  the  desire  of  his  friends,  Mr.  John- 
son delivered  an  address  before  the  New  York  State 
Agricultural  Society  at  Albany  on  February  13,  1856, 
under  the  title,  ''The  Relations  which  exist  between 
Science  and  Agriculture,"  The  main  points  which  he 
emphasized  are  here  given  in  his  own  words : 

It  has  been  the  success  that  has  followed  the  application 
of  science  to  manufacturing  arts  which  has  aroused  the  hope 
that  she  may  contribute  to  the  advancement  of  agriculture. 
It  is  especially  the  science  of  chemistry  that  has  now  become 
the  signal  means  of  improvement  in  a  hundred  branches  of 
industry,  not  less  than  the  basis  on  which  alone  they  can 
securely  rest.  .  .  ,  Why  has  not  agriculture  shared  in  this 
progress?  I  answer,  it  has  shared  therein,  though  to  a  less 
striking  and  less  profitable  degree.  The  arts  to  which  allu- 
sion has  been  made  mostly  involve  only  dead  or  inorganic 
matter,  and  their  study,  thus  withdrawn  from  the  dominion 
of  all  but  the  chemical  forces,  is  very  easy  compared  with  the 
investigation  of  the  problems  of  agriculture  which  are,  of  all 
others,  the  most  complex  and  difiBcult.  .  .  . 

But  there  are  other  reasons  than  the  inherent  difficulty  of 
the  subject  which  have  prevented  the  more  rapid  develop- 
ment of  agricultural  science,  reasons  which  lie  in  agriculture 
itself  as  it  is, — in  agricultural  practice.  One  of  these  is  the 
lamentable  circumstance  that  our  agriculture  is  so  barren  of 
facts;  I  mean  that  kind  of  facts  which  only  can  form  the 
foundation  of  science,  I  mean  complete  facts.  Complete  facts 
are  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but  the  truth. 


98        LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

All  others  bear  a  false  witness,  false  because  partial,  and 
cannot  be  admitted  to  testify  in  the  courts  of  philosophy; 
or,  if  their  deficiencies  escape  detection  and  their  depositions 
are  received,  a  wrong  verdict  will  be  rendered. 

The  husbandman  has  been  baffled  by  the  number  and  intri- 
cacy of  the  causes  and  conditions  that  influence  his  results; 
his  reason  has  been  discouraged  and  stupefied  by  its  inability 
to  harmonize  the  various,  often  conflicting  and  often  hidden, 
agencies  of  nature ;  and  the  habit  has  been  confirmed  through 
centuries,  of  adopting  maxims  and  empirical  rules  as  guides 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  These  maxims  have  been  mostly 
the  result  of  experience  and  so  far  have  been  correct  and 
satisfactory,  but  they  have  been  derived  usually  from  a  limited 
experience,  have  been  originally  found  true  only  in  a  narrow 
district,  and  the  precise  circumstances  that  have  made  them 
applicable  have  not  been  understood,  so  that  when  put  into 
practice  elsewhere  they  have  failed  utterly;  or,  what  is 
worse,  partially,  yet  not  to  such  a  degree  as  to  lead  to 
their  rejection.  .  .  . 

The  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  multiply  facts.  This  is 
accomplished  by  observation  and  experiment.  Ordinary 
observation  takes  cognizance  of  what  transpires  in  the  usual 
course  of  nature.  Experiment  is  that  refined  instrument  of 
modern  research  which  interferes  with  the  ordinary  course 
of  nature,  and  compels  her  to  unusual  manifestations.  Obser- 
vation is  the  eye  that  watches  her  voluntary  movements  and 
the  ear  that  hears  her  willing  revelations.  Experiment  is  a 
wise  cunning  that  cross-examines  her  and  pries  out  her  secret 
counsels. — 

The  roughness  of  ordinary  agricultural  observation  arises, 
to  a  great  degree,  from  a  want  of  knowledge  as  to  where  lies 
the  gist  of  the  observation,  and  amounts  to  an  incapacity  for 
observing.  What  keenness  of  perception  we  attribute  to  the 
Indian  who  traces  his  way  through  the  forest  with  invariable 
accuracy  by  little  indications  that  to  us  would  be  undistin- 
guishable.     The  secret  is  that  he  knows  where  to  look.     He 


YALE  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL  99 

must  be  trained  to  follow  the  trail  of  truth.  It  is  so,  too,  with 
experiment.  There  is  no  lack  of  agricultural  experiments. 
Unfortunately,  however,  it  is  mostly  difificult,  nay  impossible 
to  find  any  good  reason  why  they  have  been  made,  they  are 
so  barren  of  useful  results.  The  empiric  experiments  at  a 
venture  without  any  probability  to  guide  him.  His  hap- 
hazard trials  often  reveal  new  facts,  but  he  rarely  contributes 
largely  to  scientific  progress,  because  he  makes  hap-hazard 
experiments,  because  he  does  not  reason.  The  philosopher 
experiments  with  an  object  in  view,  and  distinctly  in  view. 
He  does  not  indulge  in  small  talk  with  nature,  but  puts  ear- 
nest questions  to  her.  The  course  he  follows  in  the  investiga- 
tion of  a  subject  little  known  is  this:  He  first  collects  and 
collates  all  the  facts  known  with  regard  to  it.  He  then  seeks 
to  construct  a  consistent  explanation  of  these  various  facts. 
It  may  be  that  he  finds  it  impossible  to  do  this.  Then  he 
must  verify  the  facts,  perhaps  some  are  false  or  he  sees  them 
from  an  insufficient  point  of  view,  or  he  must  collect  more  of 
them  by  extending  his  observations,  it  may  be  by  experi- 
ment. He  shortly  is  enabled  to  form  a  hypothesis,  to  frame 
a  theory  which  promises  to  account  for  the  facts.  Yet  it  is 
not  a  hypothesis  but  truth  he  seeks,  and  now  he  begins  to 
test  his  theory.  Every  deduction  which  he  can  draw  from 
it  must  prove  true,  else  the  theory  is  false.  He  therefore 
unites  the  conditions  which  his  theory  indicates  will  produce 
a  given  prevised  result.  If  the  result  follow,  his  theory  is 
confirmed,  otherwise  it  must  be  rejected  and  a  new  one  formed 
and  similarly  proved.  Here  is  where  experiment  assumes  its 
chief  dignity  and  value.  Here,  it  must  be  suggested  by  reason 
or  it  cannot  be  expected  to  answer  any  good  purpose.  Here, 
if  rationally  devised  and  skilfully  executed,  it  must  reveal 
a  truth,  and  though  the  truth  be  negative  it  is  not  the  less 
valuable,  for  every  new  negative  result  limits  within  narrower 
bounds  the  space  wherein  positive  truth  is  to  be  sought.  .  .  . 
How  little  is  to  be  expected  from  mere  farm  experiments 
conducted  without  especial  aid  from  science,  the  past  abun- 


100      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

dantly  shows.  In  this  country  there  have  been  established 
several  experimental  farms.  Upon  these  farms  trials  have 
been  instituted  to  ascertain  the  relative  values  of  various 
manures,  but  the  results  have  not  and  cannot  have  any  gen- 
eral or  permanent  worth.  They  have  not  been  made  with 
more  insight,  nor  have  they  been  calculated  to  clear  up  more 
doubts,  than  the  single  experiments  carried  out  here  and  there 
by  private  individuals.  It  is  true  they  have  been  executed 
with  more  care  than  is  usual,  but  this  has  been  so  much  more 
labor  lost.  The  spirit  which  has  established  these  experi- 
mental farms  is  worthy  of  the  highest  praise,  but  after  they 
have  existed  here  for  years  we  shall  only  reap  the  same  fruits 
that  were  gathered  long  ago  in  Europe,  viz.,  a  greater  abun- 
dance of  conflicting  fragmentary  facts.  I  do  not  say  that  no 
good  can  come  of  them.  I  only  express  my  belief  that  the 
results  will  be  comparatively  small,  not  at  all  commensurate 
with  the  outlay. 

The  other  recognized  means  of  making  advance  in  agricul- 
ture is  the  chemical  laboratory.  It  w^as  in  the  laboratory  that 
the  foundations  of  agricultural  science  were  laid,  and  it  has 
therefore  served  a  most  useful  purpose.  There  are  still  many 
subjects  of  considerable  importance  which  the  laboratory  is 
competent  to  elucidate  alone ;  but  the  larger  share  of  the 
problems  that  are  now  needing  solution  require  the  laboratory 
and  farm  to  unite  their  resources. 

There  have  been  lately  established  in  Germany,  especially 
in  Saxony,  a  number  of  so-called  Experiment  Stations,  or 
experimental  farms  with  laboratories  in  connection,  for  the 
exclusive  object  of  promoting  scientific  agriculture.  It  is  but 
a  few  years  since  the  first  of  these  was  founded,  now  there 
exist  already  four  in  that  little  kingdom;  and  three  others 
are  in  operation,  or  are  being  established,  in  other  parts  of 
Germany,  These  are  intended  to  make  science  practical,  and 
practice  scientific;  and  no  agency  can  be  desired  better 
adapted  for  these  important  purposes.  As  mere  practice  is 
deficient  in  all  that  belongs  to  the  province  of  science  to  sug- 


YALE  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL  101 

gest,  so  science  alone  lacks  that  which  practice  is  naturally 
fitted  to  supply ;  each  is  the  complement  of  the  other ;  rational 
agriculture  is  the  result  of  their  union.  The  great  laws  that 
control  vegetable  and  animal  production  being  once  estab- 
lished by  pure  science,  science  in  conjunction  with  practice 
must  apply  those  laws,  must  study  their  bearings  and  follow 
out  their  details.  In  the  field  and  the  laboratory,  then, 
observation  and  experiment  are  to  reveal  to  us  the  new  facts 
which  shall  be  the  materials  for  agricultural  progress.  .    .    . 

The  method  I  have  roughly  sketched  must  inevitably  lead 
to  good  results,  whose  number  will  only  be  limited  by  the  zeal 
and  skill  that  we  enlist  in  these  great  inquiries.  Not  merely 
will  they  be  of  immediate  influence  upon  our  noble  science 
of  agriculture — opening  to  us  the  mysteries  of  nature's  work- 
ings— but,  as  always  happens,  the  increase  of  knowledge  will 
react  on  its  diffusion.  ...  So  it  will  be  with  agricultural 
progress.  The  interest  aroused  by  the  very  effort  to  discover 
the  new  will  vitalize  the  old.  .  .  .  The  intellectual  life  of  the 
farmer  will  become  more  vigorous  and  healthful.  He  will 
cease  to  be  mechanical  and  prejudiced,  and  more  nearly 
attain  to  the  true  dignity  of  a  wide  seeing  and  deeply  think- 
ing man.  These  special  studies  carried  out  on  an  extensive 
scale  will  have  the  effect  to  make  agriculture  appreciated  as 
a  profession.  Educated  young  men  will  be  attached  to  it  as 
an  intellectual  pursuit.  Finally,  the  influence  of  special  agri- 
cultural inquiries,  prosecuted  as  I  have  mentioned,  will  be  to 
modify  and  reform  our  existing  practice  generally.  The  un- 
profitable and  even  wasteful  management,  now  not  rare  in 
our  state,  will  give  place  to  a  more  judicious  and  rational 
system,  conducive  at  once  to  the  prosperity  and  beauty  of 
our  country.  .  .  . 

I  have  full  faith  not  only  that  science  may  accomplish 
much  for  agriculture  in  the  way  I  have  indicated,  but  that 
she  will  be  speedily  put  about  the  work.  The  tendencies  of 
our  time  prophesy  this.  The  notion  that  there  is  anything 
essentially  antagonistic  between  science  and  practice  is  daily 


102      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

meeting  its  refutation,  both  in  the  laboratory  and  in  the  field. 
I  may  confidently  ask,  where  better  than  in  our  own  country 
shall  this  idea  find  its  realization?  The  scholars  of  Europe 
often  say  to  the  American:  Science  can  only  flourish  under 
the  patronage  of  Royalty.  But  they  mistake — our  country, 
just  arrived  at  manhood,  has  indeed  been  so  absorbed  in  its 
own  growth  that  it  could  ill  spare  effort  for  great  scientific 
achievements,  and  yet  within  the  last  twenty  years,  even  the 
self-complacent  philosophers  of  France  and  Germany  have 
been  obliged  to  be  amazed  at  the  contributions  to  science  we 
have  sent  over  to  them  from  what  they  are  pleased  to  call 
our  back  woods.  Our  country  now  has  the  strength  of  the 
oldest  nations  with  all  the  freshness  of  youth.  She  is  girding 
herself  up  to  contest  among  the  nations  for  the  prize  of 
science.  What  worthier  triumph  for  our  republic  than  to  win 
for  her  millions  the  boon  of  a  rational  agriculture  ? 

Two  notes  from  a  friend  in  Germany  which  clearly 
refer  to  the  ''University  of  Albany"  are  added  here: 

Miinchen,  July  7th/56. — Liebig  is  again  working  on  some- 
thing to  be  published  against  Lawes,  and  wishes  to  know 
whether  you  are  willing  to  translate  and  get  it  published  in 
the  U.  S.  (probably  in  an  agl.  paper).  He  has  almost  made 
up  his  mind  to  go  to  the  U.  S.  and  set  up  a  model  farm  and 
ag.  school,  provided  one  of  the  states  will  furnish  him  with 
the  land  and  funds.  I  had  a  long  talk  with  him  on  the 
subject. 

Berlin,  N'ov.  23rd,  1856. —  ...  a  very  small  note  to  ask 
whether  you  got  that  book  of  Liebig 's  which  I  sent  by  post 
from  Berlin  about  two  months  ago*  In  the  letter  which  was 
in  the  package,  I  told  you  of  Liebig 's  design  and  firm  inten- 
tion to  emigrate  to  the  United  States,  if  he  could  get  a  grant 
of  land  from  the  State  of  New  York  for  the  purpose  of  an 
Agr.  School;  his  reasons  etc.  I  explained  at  length. 


YALE  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL  103 

Mr.  Tucker,  writing  from  Albany  in  November 
1856,  said: 

— We  should  like  to  have  you  take  up  such  subjects,  gen- 
erally, as  will  enlighten  our  farmers  on  the  matters  which 
daily  come  before  them ;  but  you  need  no  suggestions  on  this 
point.  We  should  prefer  to  insert  your  articles  as  editorial, 
except  in  cases  where  you  particularly  desire  to  have  your 
name  attached,  or  where  from  their  scientific  character,  it 
would  be  necessary. 

I  am  sorry  to  hear  that  there  is  even  a  possibility  of  a 
failure  in  your  proposed  Scientific  School.  I  supposed  that 
such  arrangements  were  made  as  would  secure  its  establish- 
ment on  a  firm  basis.  I  shall  not  fail  to  let  you  know  if  I 
hear  of  anything  to  your  advantage.  Possibly  our  Ag.  College 
may  go  into  operation — in  a  year  or  two.  Our  State  Ag. 
Society  ought  to  have  now  funds  enough  to  employ  you  per- 
manently in  a  laboratory  here,  and  I  cannot  but  feel  vexed 
when  I  think  how  foolishly  their  funds  have  been  wasted. 
They  are  entirely  out  of  funds  and  have  got  to  live  on  credit 
until  the  next  State  Fair.  We  want  all  the  aid  we  can  get 
from  you  on  the  Country  Oentleman. 

Unfortunately  the  desires  of  the  progressive  mem- 
bers of  the  New  York  State  Agricultural  Society  failed 
of  realization.  The  leaders  were  too  far  in  advance  of 
their  time;  wise  and  good  as  their  plans  were,  they 
were  unable  to  carry  them  into  effect.  It  would  have 
afforded  Mr.  Johnson  the  keenest  pleasure  to  join 
these  friends  of  his  youth  in  Albany  in  such  a  work 
for  scientific  agricultural  education  as  they  hoped  to 
establish  in  the  state  of  his  birth,  and  it  was  not  until 
all  possibility  of  this  had  quite  passed  away  that  he 
began  to  look  upon  Connecticut  as  the  place  of  his 
life  work. 


CHAPTER  IV 

CONNECTICUT  STATE  AGRICULTURAL 
SOCIETY 

Almost  as  soon  as  he  reached  New  Haven  in  the  fall 
of  1855,  Mr.  Johnson  had  been  appealed  to  for  help  in 
establishing  on  a  substantial  basis  the  Connecticut 
Homestead,  which  was  published  at  Hartford  from 
1855  to  1861.  The  editors  of  this  paper,  Wm.  Clift, 
T.  S.  Gold  and  H.  A.  Dyer,  served  without  pay.  In 
1856,  Mason  C.  Weld  became  publisher  and  was  added 
to  the  board  of  editors,  afterwards  becoming  editor- 
in-chief.  The  paper  grew  in  favor;  it  was  self-sup- 
porting when,  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  "War,  Colonel 
Weld  volunteered.  About  six  months  later,  however, 
its  publication  was  discontinued.  Mr.  Weld  had,  on 
the  22d  of  October,  1855,  written  to  Mr.  Johnson, 
asking : 

Can't  you  give  us  a  lift — by  us  I  mean  the  Homestead.  I 
have  to  do  pretty  much  the  whole  work  just  now,  while  the 
other  editors  have  so  much  to  do  in  the  Fair  line.  Do  you 
see  ''The  Hf"  We  are  getting  a  good  circulation.  If  you 
want  your  School  cracked  up  I  '11  do  it  for  love. 

Mr.  Johnson's  response  was  a  series  of  articles. 
These,  published  in  the  Homestead  during  1856, 
brought  his  methods  and  ideas  before  the  members 
of  the  Connecticut  Agricultural  Society,  led  to  an 
invitation  to  address  them  on  his  recent  work  in  the 


STATE  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY       105 

exposure  of  frauds  in  fertilizers,  and  resulted  in  his 
appointment  as  chemist  to  the  Society.  Since  his  first 
oflBcial  ''Report  as  Chemist,"  made  to  the  Connecticut 
State  Agricultural  Society  on  January  12,  1858, 
together  \\4th  similar  work  done  by  him  in  preceding 
years  without  ofiBcial  authority,  summarized  in  his 
address,  ''Frauds  in  Commercial  Manures,"  delivered 
before  the  same  society  in  January  1857,  is  often 
referred  to  as  the  commencement  of  the  Agricultural 
Experiment  Station  movement  in  this  country,  it  is 
of  interest  to  bring  together  here  some  facts  concern- 
ing Mr.  Johnson's  connection  with  the  early  growth 
of  that  idea. 

An  article — "County  Agricultural  Institutes" — 
published  during  his  student  days  in  New  Haven,  in 
August  1851,  sets  forth  in  a  general  way  his  earliest 
conception  of  ideas  which  later  assumed  a  more  definite 
form.  This  larger  vision  of  the  usefulness  of  chem- 
istry to  agriculture  came  to  him  before  his  opportu- 
nity to  perform  the  clearly  needed,  but  much  narrower, 
work  of  fertilizer  analysis.  It  was  thoroughly  char- 
acteristic of  the  man  first  to  form  and  tenaciously  hold 
the  broad  idea,  based  upon  a  universal  and  permanent 
need ;  and  then,  realizing  an  opportunity  for  practical 
work,  to  set  about  using  his  skill  and  knowledge  in 
routine  analysis  perfonned  with  all  possible  accuracy 
in  order  that  these  simple  analyses  should  be  so  abso- 
lutely right  that  they  might  be  an  unassailable  foun- 
dation for  the  wider  work  to  come  after.  In  March 
1853,  he  published,  under  the  title  "Superphosphate 
of  Lime,"  an  account  of  the  results  of  analyses  which 
he  had  made  on  two  samples  of  artificial  fertilizer 
offered  for  sale.    This  paper  is  the  prototype  of  the 


106      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Address  of  1857  and  the  Report  of  1858,  and  for  that 
reason  is  given  in  full  as  an  appendix.  The  analytical 
work  described  in  it  was  probably  the  first  of  the  kind 
published  in  this  country.  Together  with  the  intel- 
ligent and  authoritative  discussion  of  the  broader 
aspects  of  his  subject,  it  laid  the  foundation  of  the 
personal  reputation  for  accuracy,  fearlessness  and 
integrity,  by  virtue  of  which  every  utterance  of  his 
later  years  commanded  a  respectful  hearing.  Con- 
cerning the  two  brands  of  fertilizers  considered,  this 
investigation  gave  essentially  the  same  information  as 
did  the  Reports  made  by  Professor  Johnson,  a  few 
years  later,  to  the  Connecticut  State  Agricultural 
Society  covering  a  much  larger  number  of  fertilizers ; 
and  this  work,  done  in  his  early  student  days  in  New 
Haven,  shows  that  liis  methods  were,  to  some  extent  at 
least,  his  own,  not  merely  an  adaptation  of  European 
models  due  to  the  influences  of  his  later  student  life  in 
Germany. 

After  the  publication  of  '' Superphosphate  of 
Lime,"  two  years  of  study  abroad  intervened. 
Almost  immediately  upon  his  return  to  New  Haven 
in  1855,  Mr.  Johnson  resumed  his  work  of  analysis 
and  valuation  of  fertilizers  for  the  information  and 
protection  of  farmers.  This  seemed  to  him  the  obvious 
and  rational  beginning  of  a  larger  work  which  he 
hoped  he  could  thus  prove  to  be  so  necessary  that 
farmers  would  come  not  only  to  accept,  but  to  demand 
it.  It  gave  opportunity  to  demonstrate  to  the  laity 
one  way  in  which  science  stands  ready  to  help  prac- 
tice. The  correctness  of  the  view  which  led  him  to 
take  up  this  voluntary  personal  work  is  evidenced  by 
its  growth  into  our  present  American  system  of  fer- 


STATE  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY       107 

tilizer  control,  which  annually  saves  the  country  many 
millions  of  dollars  by  safeguarding  the  interests  of 
both  purchaser  and  manufacturer. 

In  1856,  the  outlook  for  scientific  agriculture  in 
Connecticut,  a  manufacturing  state,  was  most  dis- 
couraging, but  Mr.  Johnson  enthusiastically  set  about 
his  self-imposed  duty,  associating  himself  with  the 
small  body  of  progressive  men  in  the  State  Agricul- 
tural Society,  and  giving  much  time  to  systematic  edu- 
cation of  the  farming  community  by  means  of  lectures 
and  discussions  before  farmers'  clubs,  and  by  frequent 
articles  in  agricultural  journals.  His  lecture,  *'0n  the 
Relations  which  Exist  between  Science  and  Agricul- 
ture," delivered  at  Albany  in  February  1856,  and 
published  in  the  Transactions  of  the  New  York  State 
Agricultural  Society,  was  widely  read  and  discussed. 
It  became  a  useful  missionary  leaflet,  although  it 
failed  of  its  direct  purpose,  the  securing  an  endow- 
ment for  an  agricultural  experiment  station  in  the 
State  of  New  York.  An  article  in  the  Homestead  of 
May  29,  1856,  ''On  the  Value  of  Certain  High-Priced 
Fertilizers,"  together  vnih.  the  two  which  appeared 
immediately  after  it,  followed  the  same  general  lines  as 
the  ** Superphosphate  of  Lime"  of  March  1853,  while 
embodying  the  results  of  study  since  that  date.  It  was 
in  reference  to  these  articles  that  he  stated  in  June 
1870,  in  a  report  as  chemist  to  the  Connecticut  State 
Board  of  Agriculture,  ''When  I  first  introduced  the 
valuation  of  manures  into  this  country  in  1856,  follow- 
ing the  example  set  by  Stoeckhardt*  in  Germany  a 


•  Julius  Adolph  Stoeckhardt  was  professor  of  agricultural  chemistry  in 
the  Konigliche  Sachsische  Forst-Akademie  at  Tharandt  near  Dresden. 
In  1849  he  proposed  a  method  of  estimating  the  values  of  fertilizers, 


108      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

few  years  previously,  etc. — "  Professor  Johnson's 
method  of  dealing  with  the  questions  he  was  present- 
ing to  the  agricultural  public  was  to  explain  scientific 
processes  in  a  thoroughly  scientific  way,  using  the 
simplest  English  words,  avoiding  all  technicalities,  but 
making  sure  that  each  principle  was  so  clearly  set  forth 
that  it  could  easily  be  understood  by  any  fairly  intel- 
ligent person,  however  unfamiliar  with  the  subject. 
Realizing  the  value  of  continued  reiteration  in  secur- 
ing the  acceptance  of  a  new  idea,  he  confined  himself 
to  insistent  repetition  of  the  main  facts  he  was  striv- 
ing to  impress  on  his  audience  of  landowners  and 
farmers.  These  were:  The  necessity  of  employing 
chemical  analysis  as  the  only  basis  upon  which  to 
form  an  intelligent  opinion  about  the  suitable  com- 
position of  a  fertilizer;  the  reliability  of  accurate 
analyses  as  a  guide  to  the  estimation  of  value;  and 
the  importance  to  the  community  of  a  regular  system 
of  analysis  of  all  commercial  fertilizers  as  a  safeguard 
against  fraud,  as  well  as  against  the  self-deception  of 
ignorance — ideas  which,  novel  at  that  time,  are  now 
universally  accepted  and  adopted,  both  by  manufactur- 
ers and  consumers,  as  the  basis  of  the  trade  in  commer- 
cial fertilizers.  He  gave  careful  explanation  of  all  ana- 
lytical processes,  the  reasons  for  them  and  the  results 
obtained ;  then,  following  the  method  of  Adolph  Stoeck- 
hardt,  he  ''valued"  the  fertilizer  analyzed  as  an 
assayer  values  an  ore,  by  assigning  a  money  value  to 
each  essential  ingredient,  and  from  their  proportion, 
as  found  in  the  sample,  deducing  a  market  value  for 
the  fertilizer. 


which  was  soon  adopted  hj  the  chemists  of  the  agricultural  societies  of 
Great  Britain, 


STATE  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY       109 

The  rather  remarkable  fact  is  to  be  recorded  in  this 
connection,  that,  although  private  interests  were  thus 
attacked,  the  sincerity  of  his  motives  and  the  accuracy 
and  honesty  of  Ms  work  were  never  seriously  ques- 
tioned. This  series  of  articles  in  the  Homestead 
attracted  much  attention;  the  ''showing  up"  of  the 
fertilizers  considered  caused  his  analyses  to  be  widely 
copied  and  commented  on,  and  gave  rise  to  correspond- 
ence on  the  subject.  Mr.  Johnson  kept  a  copy  of  a 
letter  in  which  he  defined  his  position  in  the  matter — 
this  letter  was  written  in  answer  to  a  vigorous  remon- 
strance and  appeal  from  his  results,  addressed  to  him 
by  the  agents  for  one  of  the  brands  of  fertilizers 
which  he  had  analyzed  and  described  in  the  Home- 
stead: 

New  Haven,  Ct.,  June  13,  1856. 

Gentlemen, — I  received  today  your  letter  and  sending  of 
Guano.    All  the  analyses  I  had  intended  to  make  are 


already  in  progress,  I  cannot  therefore  examine  the  speci- 
mens you  have  forwarded,  especially  as  they  are  so  similar 
in  appearance  to  those  being  examined  and  as  it  is  not  claimed 
by  the  Company  that  they  have  more  than  one  kind  of  Guano. 
I  would  readily  extend  the  number  of  analyses  were  it  neces- 
sary in  order  to  promote  the  end  I  have  in  view.  The  con- 
current testimony  of  my  own  results  (not  yet  quite  complete), 
and  those  obtained  by  no  less  distinguished  a  chemist  than 
Dr.  Anderson,  chemist  to  the  Highland  and  Ag.  Soc.  of  Scot- 
land, and  by  Prof.  Campbell  Morfit  of  Baltimore,  is  that  the 
analyses  you  publish  in  your  circular  were  either  made  on 
different  specimens  from  the  authentic  ones  I  have  been 
examining,  or  that  the  analyses  have  been  stated  in  an  in- 
accurate manner,  or  at  least  in  a  way  calculated  to  deceive 
persons  not  familiar  with  chemistry.  You  will  perceive  this 
involves  a  mistake,  some  will  think  a  fraud,  either  in  the 


110      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Company  or  among  the  chemists  who  have  analyzed  it.  It 
needs  very  little  chemistry  to  demonstrate  that  every  one  of 
your  published  analyses  is  either  inconsistent  in  its  chemistry, 
or  incomplete  and  unsatisfactory  for  agricultural  purposes. 
The  estimate  of  its  value  by  Dr.  Stewart  is  very,  very  wide 
of  the  true  mark.  In  a  few  weeks  it  will  become  my  duty,  in 
pursuance  of  my  declared  purpose,  to  publish  my  own  results 
and  criticise  the  contents  of  your  pamphlet.  It  will  appear 
in  the  end  that  you  have  a  capital  source  of  phosphoric  acid, 
but  not  of  soluble  superphosphates  of  lime,  and  that  you 
charge  too  high  a  price  for  it.  If  you  desire  that  specimens 
sent  (any  or  all  of  them)  be  analyzed,  that  will  be  done  in 
this  Laboratory  not  by  me,  but  by  an  assistant  who  has  that 
branch  of  the  business  in  charge,  and  the  results  will  receive 
the  endorsements  of  and  comments  of  Prof.  B.  Silliman,  Jr., 
or  of  Prof.  John  A.  Porter,  or  both  of  them  as  you  may  wish. 

I  am  not  Professor  but  am  1st  assistant  in  chemistry;  my 
duties  in  connection  with  the  Yale  Analytical  Laboratory  are 
to  superintend  the  courses  of  instruction  in  analytical  and 
practical  chemistry.  I  am  not  at  liberty  therefore,  you  per- 
ceive, to  undertake  analyses  on  my  own  private  account  for 
fees,  nor  is  it  desirable  that  I  should  accept  any  favors  from 
either  dealers  or  consumers  which  would  invalidate  my  claims 
to  disinterestedness  in  the  discussion  that  has  just  begun. 

I  have  been  assured  by  parties  whose  opinions  I  respect  as 

honest  and  unbiased,  that  the  company  owning  the  

Guano  is  a  body  of  reliable  and  fair  men  and  intends  to  do 
the  right  thing.  I  regret,  therefore,  that  on  them  will  fall 
the  discredit  which  must  attach  to  overrating  this  Guano, 
although  they  are  free  from  blame.  But  in  my  published 
articles  I  cannot  attempt  to  decide  where  the  blame  lies.  I 
have  simply  to  publish  facts  and  my  own  deductions.  I  can- 
not say  to  you,  being  strangers,  that  my  analyses  are  right 
and  those  of  the  other  chemists  are  wrong,  and  recommend 
you  to  change  your  prices  and  claim  less  for  the  guano,  for 
it  would  be  easy  to  ascribe  such  an  act  to  the  lowest  motives. 


STATE  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY       111 

Nor  can  I  presume  that  my  dictum  will  weigh  in  your  opinions 
against  the  testimony  of  so  many  chemists  who  have  long  been 
considered  reliable.  My  only  plan,  then,  is  to  publish  my 
results  uninfluenced  by  authorities, — to  question  no  man's 
motives,  and  in  the  conflict  that  must  inevitably  arise  as  to 
the  merits  of  manures  and  of  analyses,  involving  of  course 
the  reputation  of  dealers  and  chemists,  I  have  to  defend  my- 
self as  I  can  with  truth,  or  failing,  be  silenced. 

As  my  analyses  are  not  finished  my  opinions  founded  on 
them  and  here  expressed  are  only  provisional,  and  you  will 
therefore  please  not  to  use  them  in  any  public  manner.  Yours 
faithfully,  S.  W.  Johnson. 

Mr.  Joseph  Harris,  editor  of  the  Genesee  Farmer, 
sent  these  words  of  approbation  on  July  13,  1856: 

I  am  glad  you  have  undertaken  the  analyses  of  the  various 
artificial  manures.  It  has  long  been  wanted.  I  fear  you  may 
get  into  trouble.  I  have  had  one  or  two  letters  already  speak- 
ing in  no  very  flattering  terms  of  the  writer  in  the  Home- 
stead. Your  method  of  estimating  value  is  doubtless  correct, 
but  I  think  you  will  find  no  manure  in  this  country  that, 
according  to  this  estimate,  is  worth  the  money  charged  for  it. 

Henry  A.  Dyer,  a  student  in  the  **01d  Lab."  in 
1851-52,  was  associated  with  his  father  in  extensive 
agricultural  enterprises  in  Windham  County,  Con- 
necticut. At  the  organization  of  the  State  Agricul- 
tural Society  he  became  its  corresponding  secretary; 
he  was  also  largely  concerned  in  the  establishment  of 
the  Homestead  in  1851.  Late  in  November  1856,  Mr. 
Dyer  wrote  to  Professor  Johnson : 

Mason  C.  Weld  has  started  a  project  ...  in  reference  to 
the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society.  He 
proposes  to  have  the  meeting  more  after  the  order  of  a  delib- 


112      LETTEE-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

erate  scientific  convention  than  a  mere  business  meeting  of 
the  Society  .  .  .  — papers  to  be  read,  and  such  discussion 
upon  them  and  subjects  they  may  suggest  to  be  duly  chroni- 
cled and  put  in  print  as  portions  of  the  Society's  Trans- 
actions for  the  year.  Will  you  come  up  and  help  us?  You 
will  give  me  a  paper  this  year  for  the  Transactions,  and  had 
as  well  come  up  and  read  it.  .  .  . 

On  Jaimary  7,  1857,  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
Connecticut  State  Agricultural  Society,  at  Hartford, 
Professor  Johnson  spoke,  in  part,  as  follows,  his  sub- 
ject being  ''Frauds  in  Commercial  Manures." 

Almost  within  fifteen  years,  a  new  and  extensive  business 
has  sprung  up  in  those  countries  whose  industrial  develop- 
ment is  most  rapidly  progressing;  viz.,  the  trade  in  concen- 
trated and  costly  fertilizers.  .  .  .  Can  we  command  the  sup- 
plies we  need  without  fear  of  fraud  ?  In  answer  to  this  ques- 
tion, I  may  reply:  At  present  the  farmer  is  entirely  at  the 
mercy  of  the  manufacturer  or  dealer.  .  .  .  But  before  going 
further  let  us  inquire :  What  is  fraud  ?  We  must,  as  farmers 
and  business  men,  answer  this  question  with  pure  reference 
to  our  own  interests,  without  at  all  considering  the  motives 
of  those  who  defraud  us.  A  fraud,  then,  is  selling  to  the 
farmer  an  adulterated  or  damaged  fertilizer  of  established 
name :  or  imposing  upon  him  worthless  or  inferior  fertilizers, 
under  names  calculated  to  deceive  and  at  exorbitant  prices. 
When,  in  short,  the  farmer  does  not  get  from  the  dealer  the 
value  of  his  money,  or  the  kind  of  materials  he  bargains  for, 
he  is  defrauded.  The  readers  of  the  agricultural  papers  know 
the  history  of  the  Chilian  guano  fraud,  which  Joseph  Harris, 
Esq.,  now  editor  of  the  Genesee  Farmer,  detected  and  traced 
to  its  source  with  so  much  fearlessness  and  ability.  The 
results  of  my  own  numerous  analyses  of  manures  which  have 
been  published  in  the  Homestead,  during  1856,  show  unde- 
niably that  there  are  yet  among  us  those  who  think  the  farmer 


STATE  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY       113 

fair  game  for  their  plucking ;  and  if  any  are  disposed  to  excuse 
the  dealers  generally  from  intention  to  defraud,  the  matter 
becomes  pretty  plain  when  certain  of  them  who  have  never 
denied  the  accuracy  of  the  analjrtical  results — thus  virtually 
admitting  their  justness — covertly  try  to  intimidate  agricul- 
tural editors  from  copying  them.  I  will,  however,  tread  no 
nearer  this  dangerous  ground.  I  will  not  attempt  to  specify 
what  are  the  current  frauds  which  have  their  root  in  rank 
dishonesty.  It  is  vastly  pleasanter  to  suppose  that  frauds 
are  mistakes  rather  than  wilful  attempts  to  cheat;  but  it  is 
of  the  utmost  importance  to  know  whether  we  are  liable  to 
be  intentionally  as  well  as  accidentally  imposed  upon,  and 
when  we  have  satisfied  ourselves  on  this  point,  we  may  drop 
the  subject  of  malicious  fraud,  as  our  business  is  not  to 
retaliate  for  the  past,  but  to  protect  ourselves  in  the  future. 

Now,  were  the  only  frauds  liable  to  be  inflicted  on  us  those 
coming  from  evilly  disposed  persons,  we  should  have  a  remedy 
by  finding  out  who  are  the  honest  dealers,  and  giving  them 
our  exclusive  patronage.  But  we  are  cheated  by  honest  men ! 
We  have  no  security  in  any  man's  reputation  or  conscience. 
What  the  villain  leaves,  is  stripped  from  us  by  ignorance  or 
blundering  carelessness.  There  is  such  a  looseness  and 
wretched  want  of  thrift  in  some  points  of  the  trade  in  fertili- 
zers, that  we  are  hardly  sure  of  the  genuineness  of  any  thing 
except  Peruvian  guano,  and  after  that  we  must  henceforth 
look  more  sharply  than  hitherto.  Indeed  so  many  false  ideas 
are  afloat  in  the  community,  and  there  is  such  a  lack  of  pre- 
cise and  grounded  information  relative  to  manures,  that  it 
is  really  difficult  to  draw  the  line  between  ignorant  and  dis- 
honest frauds,  and  great  caution  must  be  employed  in  charg- 
ing any  one  with  villainy  or  deceit.  In  case  of  such  a  fertili- 
zer as  superphosphate  of  lime  it  is  even  difficult  to  establish 
a  just  standard  of  quality,  for  the  name  has  had  such  license, 
has  been  applied  by  manufacturers  to  such  various  mixtures, 
that  we  never  know  what  we  are  buying,  except  by  analysis. 
Of  all  the  superphosphates  I  analyzed  last  year,  not  one  came 


114      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

up  to  a  reasonable  standard  of  quality.  One  was  an  absolute 
misnomer,  it  contained  no  superphosphate  of  lime.  Only  two 
were  at  all  worthy  to  rank  under  the  name,  and  I  must  here 
say  that  one  of  these  superphosphates  withstood  a  severe 
test.  ...  Of  all  the  other  high-priced  manufactured  manures 
which  have  been  twice  analyzed,  not  one  has  maintained  a 
uniform  composition.  In  most  cases  the  later  analyses  have 
demonstrated  a  serious  falling  off  in  the  quality  of  the  article. 

So  much  for  what  has  happened.  Can  we  expect  better  or 
worse  treatment  in  the  future?  Doubtless  the  battle  is  but 
just  begun.  The  business  is  established,  and  new  manufac- 
tories will  spring  up  like  mushrooms.  There  is  a  class  of 
deceptions  in  all  departments  of  trade  which  are  not  flagrant, 
and  have  been  overlooked  and  winked  at  until  now  they  are 
recognized  as  general  and  almost  legitimate.  It  is  your  duty 
and  for  your  interest,  farmers  of  Connecticut,  to  see  that 
there  be  not  too  many  "tricks  of  the  trade"  introduced  into 
this  new  business.  Abuses  speedily  get  sanction,  or  get  beyond 
the  reach  and  effect  of  remonstrance.  If  we  do  not  master 
them,  they  will  master  us.  We  must  say  to  the  dealers:  "We 
know  what  we  want  and  you  must  fulfil  your  promises.  "We 
will  not  be  humbugged  either  by  your  names  or  your  prices. 
If  we  cannot  know  what  it  is  we  buy,  we  will  not  buy  at  all. 
We  will  thankfully  purchase  from  a  fair  dealer  and  pay  him 
a  fair  price ;  but  woe  to  him  that  attempts  to  defraud  us ! 

There  is  but  one  way  by  which  we  can  effectually  protect 
ourselves  and  be  sustained  in  using  the  above  language.  It 
is  the  resources  of  the  science  of  chemistry  which  in  their 
recent  development  have  made  possible  the  judicious  manu- 
facture and  use  of  concentrated  fertilizers.  It  is  the  same 
useful  science  which  alone  can  reveal  the  frauds  which  may 
creep  into  their  preparation.  It  is  principally  the  recogni- 
tion of  this  truth  which  has  led  the  chief  Agricultural 
Societies  of  Great  Britain  and  Germany  to  employ  scientific 
men  to  analyze  manures  for  their  members.  .  .  .  This  plan 
works  well  in  Great  Britain  because  the  British  farmers  who 


STATE  AGRICULTUEAL  SOCIETY       115 

use  artificial  or  costly  manures  are  always  able  to  pay  for  an 
analysis,  but  in  this  country  a  different  procedure  may  be 
advantageously  followed ;  a  procedure  which,  with  far  less 
expenditure,  will  prove  more  efficacious.  This  plan  is  one 
adapted  to  be  carried  into  effect  by  your  State  Society,  and  is 
as  follows :  Let  a  trustworthy  chemist  be  employed  to  analyze 
every  year  all  the  various  manures  that  come  into  the  Con- 
necticut market.  Let  the  analysis  be  made,  not  on  samples 
forwarded  by  the  dealers,  or  manufactured  for  analysis,  but 
on  specimens  procured  by  farmers  themselves,  such  as  shall 
fairly  represent  the  article  that  is  spread  upon  the  fields. 
These  samples  should  be  procured  from  different  places,  and 
the  same  manure  should  be  repeatedly  examined  in  order  to 
test  the  uniformity  and  reliability  of  its  composition.  The 
analysis  should  be  repeated  every  year,  so  that  all  improve- 
ments or  deteriorations  in  manufacture  be  kept  pace  with. 
The  results  should  be  published  in  the  organ  of  the  Society, 
so  that  all  its  members  be  informed  what  are  good  fertilizers, 
and  what  are  trash.  With  this  system  in  skilful  operation, 
an  honest  dealer  would  sell  his  commodities  nowhere  more 
gladly  than  in  Connecticut,  for  he  would  be  sure  of  finding 
for  them  here  a  full  and  enlightened  appreciation,  while  the 
rogues  would  send  their  wares  to  some  other  market ;  the  risks 
of  detection  would  be  too  great  for  them  to  encounter. 

There  remain  a  few  points  to  be  noticed.  While  the  farmer 
assumes  an  independent  attitude  toward  the  dealer,  and  shows 
that  he  can  defend  himself  from  fraud  and  imposition,  he 
must  not  go  too  far  and  become  arrogant  or  exacting.  He 
must  accord  to  the  manufacturer  fair  profits,  and,  living  him- 
self, let  his  neighbor  live.  Another  point; — a  most  careful 
distinction  must  be  drawn  between  the  commercial  and  the 
manurial  value  of  a  fertilizer.  The  former  is  told  by  chemical 
analysis,  the  latter  by  trial  on  the  field.  When,  therefore, 
chemical  analysis  has  decided  upon  the  commercial  value  of 
a  given  fertilizer,  it  is  not  just  that  the  manufacturer  loses 
his  reputation  and  his  business  because  his  manures  fail,  or 


116      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

appear  to,  on  some  farm  or  throughout  some  districts.  The 
manufacturer  has  for  his  duty  to  know  how  to  make,  and  to 
make,  reliable  fertilizers.  It  is  the  farmer's  duty  to  know 
how  to  select  and  how  to  apply  them  to  his  soil.  If  any  dealer 
profess  to  sell  a  manure  that  is  useful  on  all  soils,  all  crops 
and  in  all  climates,  he  professes  too  much ;  and  if  any  farmer 
expects  any  manure  to  be  similarly  useful,  he  expects  too 
much.  The  very  reasons  that  make  these  fertilizers  some- 
times and  ^ in  some  places  advantageous,  prevent  them  from 
being  always  and  universally  so. 

Finally,  it  is  well  to  try  to  discover  what  is  the  significance 
of  this  new  activity  in  matters  relating  to  agriculture.  It 
means  that  the  doctrines  and  practices  of  farmers  are  rapidly 
undergoing  change  and  improvement.  It  means  that  the 
farmer  has  been  inquiring  and  reflecting,  and  has  determined 
on  a  wider  range  of  enterprise.  It  implies,  too,  that  this 
progress  of  opinion  and  action  will  go  on  indefinitely,  widen- 
ing and  intensifying  without  limit,  and  will  result  in  the  most 
exalted  benefits  if  it  be  duly  fostered  and  guided.  It  strikes 
me  that  of  all  influences,  none  will  ever  be  found  more  effica- 
cious in  bringing  about  the  harmony  and  cooperation  of 
science  and  practice,  than  this  same  traffic  in  manures.  It 
will  be  efficacious  because  it  will  bring  the  parties  closely 
together  and  make  them  acquainted,  and  when  they  once  get 
to  know  each  other  fully,  there  is  no  fear  that  they  will  ever 
indulge  in  mutual  abuse,  or  part  company  again. 

Just  before  the  delivery  of  this  address,  Professor 
Johnson  was  elected  chemist  to  the  Connecticut  State 
Agricultural  Society.  A  few  days  later  came  these 
pleasant  words  of  appreciation  from  Mr.  Tucker: 

I  congratulate  you  and  the  farmers  of  Connecticut  on  your 
appointment  as  Chemist  to  the  Conn.  State  Ag.  Society.  If 
wise  counsels  prevail,  something  good  and  permanent  in  its 
effects  may  be  looked  for  from  this  small  beginning.     I  have 


STATE  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY       117 

very  deep  fears  that  our  Ag.  College  will  not  accomplish  the 
mission  to  which  it  is  devoted.  ...  I  hope  you  in  Connecticut 
will  accomplish  something  in  the  right  direction. 

Professor  Johnson's  contributions  to  the  Country 
Gentleman  during  1857  were  chiefly  translations  and 
adaptations  from  foreign  journals  and,  while  signed, 
were  more  or  less  editorial  in  character.  They  were 
designed  to  give  their  readers  the  results  of  the  best 
European  thought  on  agricultural  matters.  In  his 
preface  to  a  translation  of  some  of  Boussingault's 
researches,  he  makes  the  following  plea  for  the  train- 
ing of  research  workers  in  agricultural  science  in  this 
country : 

I  have  thought  a  perusal  of  these  researches  by  Boussin- 
gault,  a  man  whose  devotion  of  wealth,  genius,  and  life  to 
the  study  of  agricultural  chemistry  and  physiology  has  greatly 
enriched  the  science  and  the  art  of  husbandry,  would  be  of 
interest  for  several  reasons.  In  the  first  place,  they  illus- 
trate the  method  by  which  we  are  to  arrive  at  a  knowledge  of 
the  conditions  of  vegetable  growth,  and  the  influence  of  fer- 
tilizers, or  of  other  circumstances,  on  the  development  of 
plants.  Again  they  reveal  some  new  truths  in  a  broader  and 
fuller  light,  and  in  this  respect  form  a  valuable  contribution 
to  agricultural  science.  Finally,  they  may  serve  to  excite  the 
reader  to  a  more  extended  study  of  the  subject  of  vegetable 
nutrition,  a  subject  which  lies  at  the  foundation  of  agricul- 
tural production. 

Twenty  years  ago,  nobody,  neither  farmer  nor  philosopher, 
knew  what  was  the  function  or  value  of  ammonia,  or  of  nitric 
acid,  or  of  the  phosphates,  as  aids  to  vegetable  production. 
Now,  we  do  know  that  these  bodies  are  all  indispensable  to 
the  growth  of  plants,  and  we  are  able  to  comprehend,  in  some 
good  degree,  the  reasons  of  their  value.  It  is  to  investigations 
of  the  kind  that  have  just  been  laid  before  the  readers  of  the 


118      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Country  Gentleman  that  we  owe  this  advancement.  It  is 
easy  for  any  one  who  has  begun  to  master  agricultural  science 
in  its  present  state  of  development,  to  see  that  what  has  been 
accomplished  is  but  the  entrance  to  a  vast  and  fruitful  field 
of  research,  wherein  even  now  may  be  seen  luxuriant  har- 
vests of  truth  nodding  for  the  reapers.  Alas,  our  country, 
which  it  would  seem  unites  every  requisite  for  making  a  suc- 
cessful husbandry  of  these  golden  stores  of  intellectual  and 
material  wealth,  has  hardly  gleaned  the  first  ripe  ear.  Eng- 
land, Germany  and  France  monopolize  these  treasures. 
Haven't  we  energy,  genius  and  culture  enough  to  equip  a 
few  laborers  for  the  noble  enterprise  of  laying  open  to  the 
world  these  granaries  of  knowledge  ?  Haven 't  we  wealth  that 
is  ready  to  be  devoted  to  sustaining  their  slow  and  toilsome 
efforts  ?  What  is  the  matter,  that  with  all  our  enterprise  and 
reputed  keenness  in  foreseeing  every  event  that  promises 
profit,  we  allow  the  slow  Old  World  to  keep  out  of  sight  ahead 
of  us  on  this  track,  that  assuredly  leads  to  the  most  honorable 
glory  and  to  the  substantial  reward  of  increased  national 
wealth?  Is  it  a  fact  that  we  don't  appreciate  the  possibility 
and  the  advantages  of  improvement  in  the  most  vital  parts 
of  agriculture?  What  sums  are  we  not  willing  to  expend 
in  inventing,  testing  and  using  machines  for  reaping  our 
grain — but  who  would  be  rich  for  possessing  all  we  have 
devoted  to  acquiring  a  certain  knowledge  of  the  means  of 
raising  the  standard  of  agricultural  production  to  its  highest 
limit  ? 

Professor  Johnson's  first  "Report"  to  the  Connecti- 
cut State  Agricultural  Society  is  dated  January  12, 
1858.  In  the  letter  transmitting  it,  he  thus  sums  up 
the  work  accomplished: 

In  some  instances  where  it  facilitates  the  study  or  appre- 
ciation of  the  results,  I  have  devoted  some  space  to  eluci- 
dating the  chemistry  and  general  bearings  of  my  subject; 
...  As  the  Connecticut  State  Agricultural  Society  has  for 


STATE  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY       119 

its  object  to  develop  not  only  the  agricultural,  but  all  the 
industrial  resources  of  our  State,  I  have  alluded  to  the  suc- 
cessful employment  of  peat  in  the  manufacture  of  various 
useful  products  employed  in  the  arts,  and  to  its  uses  as  a 
cheap  and  efficient  fuel.  I  have  deemed  it  due  to  the  Society 
as  well  as  to  myself,  to  describe  the  methods  I  have  employed 
in  my  analyses.  This  .  .  ,  will  enable  men  of  science  to  judge 
of  the  reliability  of  the  results  I  have  laid  before  the  Society. 
I  have  at  the  conclusion  of  my  report  alluded  to  some  other 
important  subjects  of  investigation  which  might  be  under- 
taken with  advantage.  Before  entering  into  the  account  of 
my  analyses  of  manures,  I  must  state,  what  you  can  testify 
to,  that  since  my  appointment  a  year  ago  as  chemist  to  the 
Society,  it  has  been  difficult  to  find  in  all  our  markets  any 
positive  impositions  upon  the  farmer  in  the  way  of  fertilizers. 
Accordingly  the  eclat  of  showing  up  glaring  humbugs  is  not  a 
distinguishing  feature  of  my  labors  during  the  last  year.  I 
trust,  however,  that  the  comparative  freedom  of  our  State 
from  fraudulent  manures  is  a  sufficient  recompense  for  the 
fund  which  the  Society  appropriated  to  my  investigations. 
Finally,  I  have  prefaced  my  Report  with  some  general  consid- 
erations relative  to  the  nature,  uses  and  abuses  of  manures, 
which  I  hope  will  be  of  service  in  guiding  to  their  judicious 
application. 

The  comment  of  Dr.  Dyer,  secretary  of  the  Society, 
on  this  report  was : 

The  action  of  the  Society  at  the  last  annual  meeting,  in 
securing  the  services  of  a  chemist,  has  proved  efficient  beyond 
the  expectations  of  the  warmest  friends  of  the  measure.  .  .  . 
During  the  past  year  scarcely  one  very  inferior  or  worthless 
commercial  manure  could  be  found  in  Connecticut.  Manu- 
facturers or  dealers  who  could  not  with  safety  warrant  their 
manures  have  sought  other  markets.  .  .  .  The  work  already 
bestowed  upon  the  peats  alone  could  scarcely  be  had  of  any 
professional  chemist  for  the  whole  amount  of  our  appropria- 


120      LETTEE-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

tion  to  Mr.  Johnson.  We  owe  it  to  his  interest  in  agricultural 
development  and  to  the  unusual  facilities  which  his  connection 
with  the  chemical  and  agricultural  department  of  Yale  College 
furnishes  him,  that  we  have  secured  so  much.  The  State  Soci- 
ety can  not  afford  to  lose  the  honor  and  reward  of  carrying  out 
these  investigations  in  the  future  on  a  greatly  extended  scale. 
With  fraudulent  or  inferior  manures  we  shall  have  little  to 
do  henceforth  if  we  continue  to  employ  a  chemist;  and  if  the 
State  Society  can  not  from  its  own  fund  continue  and  increase 
the  chemical  grant,  it  is  much  to  be  desired  that  by  private 
subscription  it  should  be  done.  Connecticut  cannot  afford  to 
give  up  this  measure  which  has  already  in  our  own  country 
and  abroad  given  her  signal  honor.  .  .  . 

This  report  of  Professor  Johnson  made  a  pro- 
found impression  among  those  interested  in  agricul- 
tural matters.  While  an  amplification  of  earlier  work, 
adapting  to  American  needs  methods  already  in  use 
in  England,  it  was  original  in  many  ways;  and  the 
personal  note  it  struck  persistently,  though  with 
modesty  and  wholly  without  self-consciousness,  is 
interesting  to  look  back  upon.  This  personal  rela- 
tion between  the  man  who  was  trying  to  help  and  pro- 
tect others  through  his  knowledge  and  the  hearers  who 
believed  him,  and  trusted  in  his  honesty  and  sincerity 
quite  as  much  as  in  his  knowledge,  never  changed. 
They  were  ready  first  to  learn  from  him  and  then  to 
join  with  him  in  the  work ;  and  to  the  end  of  their  lives 
he  and  his  early  friends  in  the  Agricultural  Society 
labored  together,  under  changing  conditions,  for  the 
public  good. 

In  1859,  the  delivery  of  a  course  of  lectures  in  Wash- 
ington (before  the  Smithsonian  Institution)  on  *' Agri- 
cultural Chemistry"  gave  Professor  Johnson  a  wider 


STATE  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY       121 

reputation  as  a  lecturer.  These  lectures  embodied  the 
results  of  his  studies  and  teaching,  and  covered  in  a 
general  way  the  state  of  knowledge  at  that  time  of 
agricultural  chemistry.  Personally  a  quiet,  reserved 
man,  whose  indifference  to  outside  matters  was  often 
mistaken  for  shyness,  once  on  the  platform  he  com- 
pletely lost  himself  in  his  subject,  and  made  it  alive 
and  fascinating.  Always  carefully  prepared  to  speak, 
he  seldom  wrote  out  anything  for  publication  until 
after  it  had  been  delivered,  so  his  verbal  presenta- 
tion had  the  freshness  and  charm  of  an  apparently 
impromptu  wording.  These  lectures,  revised  and  pub- 
lished, served  the  author  as  groundwork  for  the  more 
important  treatise,  *  *  How  Crops  Grow, ' '  with  which  he 
was  already  occupied,  although  it  was  not  ready  for 
publication  until  nearly  ten  years  later. 

His  ' '  Second  Annual  Report  as  Chemist  to  the  Con- 
necticut Agricultural  Society"  presents  an  account  of 
a  thorough  investigation  of  peat  and  muck — more 
time-consuming  than  would  seem  possible  save  to  one 
familiar  with  research  work.  The  fertilizer  analyses 
for  the  year  proved  in  a  gratifying  manner  the  good 
effects  produced  by  the  exposures  of  frauds,  made 
two  years  before,  and  bore  out  the  contention  that 
publicity  given  to  results  of  regularly  made  analyses 
would  keep  up  the  standards  of  manufactured  articles. 
With  the  report  he  sent  this  letter  to  the  secretary  of 
the  society : 

Dear  Sir, — My  second  Annual  Report  is  chiefly  occupied 
with  the  results  of  the  Investigation  of  Peat  and  Muck,  begim 
at  your  instance  in  1857.  In  order  to  make  my  analyses  and 
inquiries  of  the  greatest  practical  benefit  to  our  farmers,  I 
have  prepared  a  systematic  and  brief,  though  pretty  com- 


122      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

plete,  account  of  the  nature  and  uses  of  Peat  and  Muck,  in 
so  far  as  they  concern  Agriculture,  the  careful  study  of  which, 
I  hope,  will  enable  any  one  to  employ  the  abundant  contents 
of  our  swamps  with  economy  and  advantage.  I  had  intended 
to  give  here  an  account  of  the  other  technical  applications  of 
peat;  but  since  it  appears  that  they  are  as  yet  very  unde- 
veloped and  not  likely  to  be  of  much  immediate  importance 
in  this  country,  I  have  concluded  to  leave  them  unnoticed  for 
the  present. 

The  Commercial  Fertilizers  that  I  have  examined,  with  two 
exceptions,  have  proved  to  be  of  good  quality,  while  some  of 
them  are  new  and  possess  much  interest.    Samuel  W.  Johnson. 

New  Haven,  Ct.,  January  12,  1859. 

In  June,  Professor  Johnson  again  reiterated  an 
admonition  to  the  farmers  of  the  state  to  beware  of 
setting  experience  in  opposition  to  scientific  truth, 
ending  with  an  appeal  for  the  support  and  extension 
of  the  work  of  the  Agricultural  Society — and  that  it 
might  surely  be  read  by  those  he  wished  to  reach,  lie 
took  advantage  of  a  current  controversy  in  the  agri- 
cultural press  and  called  this  article  '^ American 
Guano."    An  extract  from  it  follows: 

Ever  since  it  has  been  possible  to  benefit  agriculture  by 
applying  the  discoveries  and  principles  of  science  to  its  opera- 
tions, science  has  been  confronted  by  the  appeal  to  experience, 
as  to  something  utterly  opposed  to  and  more  reliable  than  her 
teachings. 

Every  farmer  cherishes  his  experience  because  it  is  his  own 
and  dearly  bought.  His  time,  his  labors,  his  money  and  his 
anxious  thought  have  been  largely  swallowed  up  by  all- 
consuming  experience;  which,  like  his  own  live  stock,  eats 
enormously  more  than  it  lies  on.  The  farmer  has  a  right  to 
cherish  his  experience.     But  whoever  hints  that  experience 


STATE  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY       123 

is  better  than  or  opposed  to  scientific  investigation  is  a 
sophist,  "and  the  truth  is  not  in  him,"  because  scientific 
investigation  is  experience,  is  not  opposed  to,  but  harmonizes 
with  it,  is  not  less,  but  rather  greater  than  ordinary  expe- 
rience, since  it  expressly  seeks  to  winnow  away  the  error  it 
is  well  known  so  often  accompanies  truth ;  while  experience 
is  many  times  unsuspecting,  blind  or  prejudiced. 

If  any  one  lets  alone  the  results  of  scientific  investigation, 
to  depend  upon  ordinary  experience,  he  lets  alone  the  oldest, 
widest,  fullest,  most  thoroughly  criticised  and  truest  expe- 
rience wrought  out  in  the  lives  of  the  world's  most  gifted  and 
most  laborious  men,  to  sustain  himself  upon  the  shallow,  un- 
sifted and  conflicting  experience  of  those  less  qualified  to 
observe  and  judge.  Science  is  but  another  and  the  true  name 
for  all  that  is  good  in  the  experience  of  all  men;  and  bears 
the  same  relation  to  ordinary  experience  that  the  clean  grain 
does  to  the  crop  in  the  field,  where  there  is  chaff,  straw,  stubble, 
roots  and  weeds.  Common  experience  is  the  native,  rank,  but 
wild,  growth  of  knowledge.  Science  is  its  trained  and  culti- 
vated development.  Common  experience  is  swaying  to  and 
fro  with  every  wind  of  doctrine,  unsettled,  unreliable;  here 
asserting  a  thing,  there  denying  it ;  now  believing,  now  skep- 
tical. But  scientific  experience  is  that  whereon  one  may  most 
surely  rest,  for  it  reveals  the  changeless  and  perfect  laws,  in 
whose  obedience  Nature  glorifies  her  Author. 

Your  correspondent  derives  his  estimate  of  the  value  of 
American  guano  from  experience.  That  is  precisely  the 
source  whence  mine  is  derived.  He  asserts  that  "the  experi- 
ments made  by  farmers  with  this  guano  prove  it  to  be  the 
most  valuable  fertilizer  ever  brought  into  this  country."  I 
am  prepared  to  show  the  experience  of  agriculture  has  not 
proved  this  statement  true.  I  am  confident  that  overwhelm- 
ing evidence  can  be  produced  to  the  contrary,  and  am  ready 
to  discuss  that  point  with  him  or  any  one.  Your  correspond- 
ent believes  that  the  natural  combination  of  the  phosphates 
and  sulphates  of  lime,  is  a  reason  why  the  American  guano 


124      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

is  "preferred  by  plants."  Unfortunately  for  this  "doctrine 
of  a  theorist, ' '  the  first  cargoes  with  which  the  published 
experiences  have  been  made,  and  upon  which  the  reputation 
of  this  manure  has  been  built  up,  appear  from  the  analyses 
of  Torrey,  Gale  and  myself,  to  have  been  nearly  free  from 
sulphates — to  have  been  in  fact,  nearly  pure  phosphate  of 
lime !  In  all  the  numberless  trials  on  record  made  with  the 
special  object  to  learn  the  value  of  various  fertilizers,  there 
has,  as  yet,  been  found  no  jot  of  evidence  that  any  "natural 
combination"  of  two  fertilizers  exceeds  an  artificial  one  in 
its  effects,  and  your  correspondent  must  adduce  some  evi- 
dence, some  stubborn  fact,  to  sustain  his  view;  for  neither 
science  nor  experience  is  to  be  convinced  by  his  assurance 
that  the  roots  of  plants,  if  questioned,  would  prohahly  tell 
the  farmer  that  they  prefer  American  guano,  because  of  the 
"natural  combination"  of  phosphate  and  sulphate  of  lime. 
The  fineness  of  the  American  guano  would  be  certainly  in  its 
favor,  were  it  chiefly  a  phosphate  of  lime,  but  it  is  wrong  to 
assert  that  such  fineness  is  any  advantage  in  case  of  a  sulphate 
of  lime,  or  that  the  roots  of  crops  have  to  "struggle"  to  obtain 
sustenance  from  the  coarser  particles  of  Nova  Scotia  plaster, 
which,  as  sold  for  agricultural  purposes,  has,  for  the  plant,  a 
high  degree  of  solubility. 

That  American  guano  has  in  many  cases  equalled  and 
excelled  Peruvian  guano  is  very  likely  true  for  simple  and 
obvious  reasons,  independently  of  the  testimony  of  farmers. 
That  plaster,  common  salt,  leached  ashes  and  other  fertilizers, 
have  equalled  and  excelled  Peruvian  guano  is  also  true.  We 
cannot,  however,  claim  for  the  last  named  substances  a  supe- 
riority over  Peruvian  guano,  nor  can  "D.  R.  S."  claim  such 
superiority  for  American  guano.  It  is  a  principle  recognized 
by  all  thorough  agriculturists  that  whatever  a  soil  or  crop 
needs  is  the  most  valuable  application  to  it;  it  may  be  phos- 
phates, it  may  be  sulphates;  it  may  be  salt,  or  water  or  sun- 
shine. It  is  well  known  that  the  repeated  and  exclusive  use 
of  Peruvian  guano,  of  plaster,  of  salt,  of  lime  or  of  any  one 


STATE  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY       125 

fertilizer  that  contains  but  two  or  three  active  ingredients, 
exhausts  and  temporarily  ruins  many  a  soil.  But  if,  where 
ammonia  compounds  have  nearly  run  their  course  and  cease 
to  produce  remunerative  crops,  phosphates  be  applied,  it  often 
happens  that  a  good  yield  is  immediately  secured;  and  when 
phosphates  begin  to  lose  their  efficacy,  sulphates,  yea,  "legiti- 
mate plaster"  comes  in  like  a  panacea,  and  fertilizes  so  that 
experience  is  astounded. 

The  ''intelligent  farmer"  ought  to  know  whether  it  is  sul- 
phates, phosphates,  drainage  or  tillage,  that  his  crops  need; 
it  is  not  hard  now-a-days  to  learn  these  things,  and  knowing 
it  is  sulphates,  he  can  speedily  decide  whether  Nova  Scotia 
or  .  Jarvis  Island  be  the  cheaper  source ;  if  phosphates,  the 
analyses  which  tell  the  composition  of  what  is  in  the  market 
will  be  his  guide ;  and  henceforth,  as  heretofore,  he  will  regard, 
and  it  is  to  be  hoped,  support,  his  "scientific  protector,"  the 
State  Agricultural  Society. 

In  the  summer  of  1856,  when  Mr.  Johnson  was 
appointed  professor  of  analytical  chemistry  in  the 
Yale  Scientific  School,  he  found  no  funds  available 
for  books  or  apparatus — the  laboratory  was  an  old 
dwelling-house  in  much  the  condition  in  which  the  last 
tenant  left  it,  unsuited  to  scientific  uses.  In  addition 
to  the  administration  of  the  analytical  laboratory, 
Professor  Johnson  taught  theoretical  chemistry,  then 
called  ''chemical  philosophy" — late  in  1857,  agricul- 
tural chemistry  was  added  to  his  professorship;  from 
then  on  he  offered  regular  instruction  in  this  branch 
also.  The  Agricultural  Society  and  the  Yale  Scien- 
tific School  were  still  most  intimately  connected,  the 
chemical  and  agricultural  courses  of  the  school  being 
highly  approved  by  the  more  progressive  landowners 
of  the  state,  and  so  Professors  Porter  and  Johnson 
took  advantage  of  the  organization  of  the  Agricul- 


126      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

tural  Society  to  secure  audiences  for  their  plea  for  aid 
to  the  Scientific  School,  which  was  at  this  time  strug- 
gling to  maintain  a  precarious  existence  without  endow- 
ment. Two  letters,  the  first  written  from  the  home  of 
Mr.  Paris  Dyer  of  the  ''Raspberry  Hill  Nurseries"  in 
Windham  County,  Connecticut,  and  the  second  from 
"Cream  Hill,"  the  inherited  estate  of  Dr.  S.  W. 
Gold  at  West  Cornwall,  Connecticut,  give  the  itiner- 
ary of  two  of  these  frequent  journeys  of  missionary 
endeavor : 

Brooklyn,  Conn.,  Sept.  22d,  1859. 

Dear  Father  and  Mother, — Day  before  yesterday  I  began 
a  tour  of  agricultural  observation  through  this  state.  I  at- 
tended yesterday  the  place  where  a  horse  fair  ought  to  have 
been  but  for  the  bad  weather,  viz.  Roekville,  Tolland  Co.  15 
miles  east  from  H't'fd.  Today  I  attend  what  little  the  rainy 
day  allows  of  the  Windham  Co.  Ag.  Soc.  I  expect  to  make 
a  little  speech  if  there  collect  people  enough  at  the  Soc 's  ban- 
quet. I  am  stopping  with  Mr.  Dyer,  Sec'y  of  the  State  Ag. 
Soc.  at  his  father 's  house,  where  the  big  open  fire  makes  shine 
and  dry  weather  in-doors,  although  outside  all  is  drizzle  and 
drip.  Next  week  I  shall  visit  the  Hartford  and  Fairfield 
Co.  Ag.  Shows.  The  week  after,  the  Tolland  Co.  show  and 
the  New  Milford  (Litchfield  Co.)  town  show.  Now  I  shortly 
shall  go  to  the  fair  grounds,  and  see  the  mud  and  rain  of 
Windham  Co.,  with  an  occasional  animal  and  a  produce  or  so. 
With  much  love,  Samuel. 

West  Cornwall,  Litchfield  Co.,  Conn.,  Nov.  2d/59. 

Dear  Father, — I  write  a  hasty  note  this  morning  to  acknowl- 
edge the  receipt  of  the  $100.  which  came  in  due  time.  I  am 
on  a  month's  tour  among  the  farmers  of  Conn,  and  expect  to 
speak  every  evening  of  the  week  except  Sat.  and  Sunday. 
Professor  J.  A.  Porter  is  with  me  and  pays  the  shot.     To- 


STATE  AGRICULTUKAL  SOCIETY       127 

morrow  night  I  shall  be  in  Goshen  and  Friday  in  Litchfield 
town,  tonight  in  Falls  Village  in  Salisbury.  Last  night  in 
Cornwall  and  Monday  eve.  in  Kent.  I  like  and  am  liked.  .  .  . 
I  am  in  the  midst  of  talk  about  crops,  etc.,  etc.  A  ruta-baga 
of  21  lb.  weight  is  in  the  room,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we  must 
be  off  for  Falls  Village.  Goodbye,  the  wagon  is  at  the  door. 
Your  affectionate  Son. 

Here  are  some  family  letters  of  this  period : 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  A.  W.  J.  AND  E.  J.) 

Yale  Analyt.  Laboratory,  Nov.  27th,  1855. 

Dear  Mother  and  Sister, —  .  .  .  Last  night  a  copy  of  the 
Cortland  Co.  Republican  set  me  thinking  that  letter  writing 
time  had  come.  I  work  hard,  eat  well  and  sleep  sound,  my 
digestion  is  good  and  brain  clear,  my  fingers  are  dirty  and 
sore  and  my  hair  long,  my  shirts  are  in  good  order  and  my 
every  day  coat  worn  out,  my  wants  are  few  and  my  means 
fewer.  I  sometimes  go  to  see  the  ladies  but  they  never  come 
to  see  me. — But  enough  of  this. 

Last  evening  I  dropped  in  at  Mr.  Bacon's  an  hour  or  so, 
and  had  a  most  pleasant  chat  with  Mrs.  B.  and  her  eldest 
daughter.  We  are  having  any  quantity  of  lectures  here  from 
all  the  notabilities,  Saxe,  Holmes,  Bayard  Taylor,  Thackeray, 
R.  W.  Emerson,  R.  H.  Dana  and  smaller  fry  innumerable 
have  lectured,  and  are  to  lecture,  at  the  rate  of  3-4  pr.  week 
and  dog  cheap.  I  bought  a  ticket  for  12  lectures  at  $1.50, 
and  any  single  lecture  is  accessible  for  .25c. 

Farewell  now,  let  me  hear  how  you  come  on.  Be  happy, 
and  get  well.    Affectionately,  Samuel. 

(A.  A.  J.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

Deer  River,  August  Ist,  1856. 

Dear  Son, — Lucien  returned  from  Minnesota  one  week  ago 
this  evening.     Giles  C.  Easton  started  last  Monday  morn  to 


128      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

go  to  Chatfield,  Fillmore  Co.,  Minnesota,  where  Jason  has 
established  a  land  or  broker  office  for  buying  and  selling  to 
get  gain,  so  that  Jason  can  come  home  and  harvest  30  or  40 
acres  spring  wheat  and  other  grain,  settle  up  his  affairs  and 
in  the  fall  go  back.  He  expects  Sarah  to  go  with  him.  How 
Sarah  will  like  his  arrangements,  I  can't  tell.  I  think  not 
very  well,  but  I  shall  advise  her  to  go.  It  seems  unnecessary 
to  break  up  and  leave  their  pleasant  residence — fitted  up  in 
good  style — amidst  a  circle  of  respectable  friends,  in  a  good 
society  with  excellent  religious  and  educational  privileges. 
.  .  .  "What  privations  will  not  men  endure  for  the  sake  of 
Earth's  treasures!  ...  I  received  the  Homestead  you  sent, 
it  is  a  good  paper.    Our  love  to  you,  Affectionately, 

A.  A.  Johnson. 

(A.  A.  J.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

March  13th,  1857. 

Dear  Son, — It  has  been  a  long  time  since  we  have  heard 
from  you,  and  longer  since  you  have  written.  I  suppose  your 
time  and  mind  are  extensively  occupied  in  your  profession, 
and  would  not  make  an  unnecessary  draw  upon  your  time. 
I  think  you  should  relax  often  enough  to  write  and  let  us 
know  how  you  are,  to  relieve  us  of  our  anxiety  about  your 
health.  We  somewhat  fear  you  may  overtax  your  energies 
and  cut  short  your  usefulness  and  perhaps  your  life,  by  too 
close  application.  "We  hope  you  will  pursue  a  judicious 
course.  Your  mother  and  Elizabeth  expect  to  come  home 
next  month  to  see  Sarah  before  she  goes  to  Minnesota.  She 
had  a  letter  from  Jason  today,  dated  21st  ultimo.  He  wants 
her  to  get  boxes  made  and  everything  packed  ready  (soon  as 
navigation  opens)  to  be  forwarded,  as  he  can't  stay  long  in 
Lewis  Co.  He  is  as  much  engaged  in  getting  riches  as  you 
are  in  getting  knowledge  and  imparting  it  to  others. 

I  feel  greatly  obliged  to  Giles  and  you  for  Rev.  Mr.  Hunt- 
ington's twenty-six  Sermons  for  the  people.      I  have  read 


STATE  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY       129 

nearly  all  of  them,  I  trust  to  some  profit.  I  had  a  small  ice 
house  made  last  fall,  and  day  before  yesterday  had  it  filled. 
Our  love  to  you,    Affectionately,  A.  A.  Johnson. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  A  A.  J.) 

New  Haven,  Jan.  22/58. 

Dear  Father, — I  have  been  working  rather  closely  for  a 
month  back,  and  am  still  very  busy  but  trying  to  take  it  easier. 
In  business  matters  I  flourish  pretty  tolerably.  Last  year 
my  income  was: 


From  Laboratory 

$  615 

"      State  Ag.  Soc. 

400 

"      Co.  Genii 

125 

"      Essay  in  N.Y.Ag.  Soc 's 

Transactions 

30 

$1160 

But  I  have  to  work  it  like  a  beaver,  and  keeping  up  my 
library, — so  as  to  be  able  to  work  to  advantage, — costs  me 
considerable,  so  that  my  surplus  is  only  about  $300.  Doubt- 
less within  this  year  I  shall  be  provided  with  a  salary  from 
college  of  $1200  and  then  the  extras  will  count  up.  So  much 
I  have  written  to  show  how  the  bread  and  beef  are  furnished. 
The  State  Ag.  Soc.  at  their  annual  meeting  two  weeks  ago 
reelected  me  chemist  at  the  same  salary  as  last  year,  and  Gen. 
Pratt  declared  he  was  not  my  enemy  but  voted  for  me  as  did 
everyone  else.  The  Lab'ty  flourishes,  being  as  full  as  ever 
before,  we  have  12  paying  students.  .  .  . 

Professor  Johnson,  with  those  of  his  brothers  and 
sisters  who  lived  near,  was  in  attendance  the  next 
July,  when  the  citizens  of  Lowville  unanimously 
extended  the  hospitalities  of  the  village  to  fonner 
students  and  teachers  who  returned  in  large  numbers 


130      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

for  the  semi-centennial  celebration  of  Lowville  Acad- 
emy. During  this  visit  to  his  old  home,  he  announced 
his  approaching  marriage  in  a  note  to  Professor 
Brush : 

Lowville,  Lewis  Co.     July  27/58. 

My  dear  George, — I  have  a  piece  of  good  news  for  you.  I 
am  in  fair  prospect  to  become  a  married  man.  I  am  engaged. 
.  .  .  Now  I  intend  to  get  recruited  for  a  splendid  year 's  work, 
and  you  must  stir  up  the  folks  to  get  those  funds  raised  for 
I  don't  care  to  delay  my  usefulness  as  a  married  man.  I  only 
wish  I  did  not  stand,  as  I  seem  to,  in  your  way, — it  is  time 
you  too,  were  paid  for  your  work.  ...  S.  W.  J. 

On  October  13,  1858,  Samuel  William  Johnson  mar- 
ried, at  her  father's  home,  Elizabeth  Ermn,  daughter 
of  George  Hunt  and  Sophronia  (Spencer)  Blinn,  of 
Essex,  New  York.  A  few  weeks  after  he  had  brought 
his  wife  to  New  Haven,  Mr.  Abner  A.  Johnson  sent 
this  letter,  an  atfectionate  reminder  of  the  intense 
interest  he  took  in  the  welfare  of  all  his  children : 

Deer  River,  10th  Deer.,  1858. 

Dear  Son, — I  have  not  forgotten  you,  nor  do  I  believe  you 
have  forgotten  your  father.  You  doubtless  have  much  to 
occupy  your  mind.  It  is  right  and  proper  that  every  one 
should  be  well  employed  in  doing  good  and  being  useful,  in 
bettering  the  condition  of  our  fellow-beings  in  the  concerns 
of  the  present  life,  in  making  improvements.  In  many  things 
surely  this  is  an  age  of  improvements.  The  steamboat  was  a 
wonderful  achiefement  in  1807.  Soon  followed  the  Erie  and 
Champlain  Canals,  completed  in  1825.  But  who  thought  of 
five  hundred  or  more  persons  in  ten  or  twenty  coaches  flying 
on  iron  rails  at  the  rate  of  30  or  40  miles  an  hour  without 
horse  or  mule,  but  more  than  twenty  years  ago  was  that  event 


STATE  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY       131 

consummated.  Then  the  electric  telegraph  soon  followed,  and 
within  a  few  months  has  connected  two  continents  altho '  there 
is  a  temporary  derangement.  Yet  the  cable  will  likely  do  its 
office  work  in  time.  Lesser  improvements,  yet  of  great  value ; 
such  as  labor  saving  machines,  of  which  threshing,  mowing, 
sowing  and  plowing  are  the  most  prominent.  Improvements 
in  agriculture,  manures  and  a  long  list  of  etcetera.  It  would 
seem  that  the  Lord  is  lavishing  temporal  blessings  in  great 
abundance  upon  Christendom,  and  particularly  upon  that  part 
now  protestant.  * '  Has  God  so  dealt  with  any  other  people  ? ' ' 
A  similar  enquiry  was  made  in  regard  to  ancient  Israel, — 
and  they  forgot  God,  and  where  are  they  now,  "a  people 
scattered  and  peeled."  May  they  prove  a  warning  to  the 
people  of  these  United  States. 

It  is  my  daily  prayer  that  you  and  your  beloved  wife — and 
all  our  children — may  be  a  blessing  to  the  circles  they  move 
in.    Your  affectionate  father,  A.  A.  Johnson. 


CHAPTER  V 

SHEFFIELD  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL:  ^'HOW 
CROPS  GROW" 

A  course  of  agricultural  lectures,  arranged  by  Pro- 
fessor John  Addison  Porter,  was  given  in  February, 
1860,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Yale  Scientific  School. 
Twenty-six  gentlemen  from  different  parts  of  the 
country  took  part  in  the  instruction  given;  fully  five 
hundred  persons  came  to  New  Haven  in  attendance 
upon  the  course,  including  a  large  number  of  young 
and  a  still  larger  number  of  old  farmers.  The  daily 
lectures  and  discussions  were  made  widely  known 
through  the  New  York  City,  as  well  as  the  local, 
papers,  and  were  afterward  collected  and  published  in 
book  form.  This  Scientific  Agricultural  Convention 
not  merely  gave  impetus  to  the  local  effort  for  agricul- 
tural education,  but  aroused  throughout  the  country 
a  wider  interest  in  this  subject.  The  lectures  of  Pro- 
fessor Johnson  and  Mr.  Eaton  were  generally  regarded 
as  the  foundation  of  the  course.  Professor  Johnson 
lectured  upon  the  chemistry  of  the  plant,  the  proxi- 
mate organic  principles  of  the  plant  and  the  atmos- 
pheric food  of  the  plant. 

The  year  1860  was  a  crucial  year  in  the  affairs  of 
the  Yale  Scientific  School.  The  Morrill  Land  Bill 
had  been  vetoed  by  President  Buchanan.  Hope  of  an 
endo"wment  from  this  source  was  consequently  de- 
ferred, and  the  small  prospect  of  State  aid  in  the 
immediate  future  gave  deep  anxiety  to  the  school's 


SHEFFIELD  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL       133 

small  but  courageous  faculty.  Mr.  Joseph  E.  Sheffield, 
one  of  whose  daughters  was  the  wife  of  Professor 
Porter,  had  bought  the  old  Medical  School  Building, 
had  remodeled  and  added  largely  to  it  for  the  use 
of  the  Scientific  School;  but  although  his  gift  put  the 
school  in  possession  of  a  home,  it  was  still  ^vithout 
funds  until,  in  the  October  following  this  Agricultural 
Convention  in  New  Haven,  Mr.  Sheffield's  renewed 
generosity  placed  the  Scientific  School  at  last  on  a 
permanent  foundation. 

Arrangement  of  the  laboratories  had  been  left 
largely  in  the  hands  of  Professor  Johnson,  who  took 
great  pleasure  in  fitting  them  up.  When  finished, 
with  their  old-fashioned  furnaces  and  huge  sand-baths 
always  warm,  they  were  proudly  believed  to  be,  if  not 
the  best  in  this  country,  at  least  as  good  as  any  on  this 
side  of  the  Atlantic.  Mrs.  S.  W.  Johnson  preserved 
the  original  draft  of  the  following  letter.  It  was  laid 
away  with  the  endorsement, '  *  S.  W.  J.  to  Mr.  Sheffield 
on  the  endowment  of  his  professorship  in  Yale  Col- 
lege. ' ' 

New  Haven,  Conn.,  Oct.  10th,  1860. 
Mr.  Sheffield  ;— 

Dear  Sir,  However  greatly  the  country  at  large  may  be 
indebted  to  your  generous  liberality  in  founding  the  Scientific 
School  on  a  sure  basis,  I  feel  that  no  individual  has  more 
cause  of  gratitude  than  myself. 

What  gratification  it  has  been  to  me  to  plan  in  part  and 
watch  the  growth  of  a  Laboratory  which,  thanks  to  your 
bounty,  is  superior  to  any  yet  erected  for  all  serious  purposes, 
and  not  inferior  to  any  in  elegance — I  can  by  no  means 
express. 


134      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

It  was  another  pleasure  to  be  assured  that  you  were  ready 
to  equip  the  new  Laboratory  with  a  number  of  costly  instru- 
ments, and  with  such  a  collection  of  chemical  preparations 
as  would  enable  it  to  vie  in  all  respects  with  other  similar 
institutions  in  this  country. 

And  now  your  crowning  act  of  munificence  places  me  in  the 
position  to  devote  nearly  my  whole  energies  to  the  noble 
science  with  which  in  boyhood  I  resolved  to  link  my  fortunes. 

Be  assured,  Dear  Sir,  that  my  gratitude,  though  rather  of 
the  silent  order  verbally,  will  constantly  seek  to  express  itself 
in  faithful  labors  for  the  success  of  the  Institution  which  I 
hope  may  shortly  bear  the  name  of  its  honored  Patron. 

With  the  highest  regard. 

Yours  truly,  Samuel  W.  Johnson. 

The  Connecticut  State  Agricultural  Society  held  a 
meeting  in  January  1861,  but  its  activities  soon 
ceased  and  were  not  resumed  until  after  the  close  of 
the  war.  Arrangements  were  made  for  a  second 
course  of  agricultural  lectures  connected  with  the 
Scientific  School,  to  be  given  in  February.  Rapidly 
increasing  apprehension  of  war  caused  these  also  to 
be  abruptly  abandoned,  and,  in  response  to  the  wish 
of  those  who  had  expected  to  attend  them,  the  regular 
course  on  Scientific  Agriculture,  given  in  the  school 
by  Professor  Johnson,  was  opened  to  the  public. 
These  lectures  were  designed  to  cover  the  whole 
ground  of  the  relations  of  science  to  agriculture. 

In  the  summer  of  1861,  Professor  Johnson  under- 
took a  series  of  observations  on  the  nutrition  of  plants, 
the  results  of  which  were  published  in  1866.  Reference 
is  made  to  this  investigation  in  a  letter  written  some- 
what later  by  Dr.  Pugh : 


SHEFFIELD  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL       135 

I  am  glad  you  are  about  to  work  at  the  N  question,  .  .  . 
Your  plan  will  give  good  results  if  you  can  carry  it  out.  24 
pots  will  make  much  work,  but  it  will  enable  you  to  open  the 
work  and  have  it  ready  for  the  Washington  Station.  .  .  .  But 
my  dear  fellow,  get  at  it.  Starve  along  as  best  you  can,  and  I 
will  point  at  you  starving  when  the  proper  time  comes  to  lay 
the  question  of  a  Station  before  Uncle  Sam. 

In  this  same  year  was  published  Professor  John- 
son's paper,  **0n  the  Soil  Analyses  of  the  Geological 
Surveys  of  Kentucky  and  Arkansas,"  which  pointed 
out  some  dangers  in  injudicious  application  of  imper- 
fectly understood  scientific  principles  to  practical 
problems.  It  was  a  timely  and  needed  warning  to 
enthusiasts  who  were  ignoring  the  rudimentary  state 
of  scientific  agriculture  and  were  attempting  the 
impossible.  This  publication  elicited  the  follomng 
from  Dr.  Pugh: 

Thank  you  for  your  paper  on  soil  analysis,  it  is  the  right 
thing  in  the  right  place  by  the  right  man.  I  have  met  some 
of  those  Kentucky  soil  analysts,  they  did  not  seem  to  realize 
what  they  were  about,  your  article  will  show  them. 

In  a  letter  of  later  date,  Dr.  Pugh  commented  sym- 
pathetically on  the  scheme  of  agricultural  instruction 
adopted  by  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School: 

I  have  said  enough, — except  to  express  my  approbation  of 
your  proposed  plan  to  cultivate  a  few  students  to  a  high 
standard,  rather  than  to  popularize  many  subjects  to  many 
people. 

Professor  Brewer,*  at  that  time  first  assistant  of 
the  Geological  Survey  of  California,  wrote  from  San 

•William  Henry  Brewer  grew  up  on  his  father's  farm  in  New  York 
State,  where  he  earlj  imbibed  a  love  of  agricultural  pursuits  and  acquired 


136      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Francisco,  on  December  20,  1861,  asking  for  advice 
and  assistance  in  problems  arising  in  Ms  work  there, 
and  also  said: 

I  was  so  delighted  to  see  your  article  on  soil  analyses,  agri- 
cultural survey  humbugs,  etc.,  that  I  began  to  think  agricul- 
tural departments  of  geological  surveys  were  almost  useless, 
until  I  sobered  down  and  the  excitement  of  your  article  wore 
off. 

The  early  part  of  1862  passed  quietly  by,  affairs 
progressing  as  usual  in  the  Scientific  School  although 
the  war  had  paralyzed  all  outside  activities.  On  Feb- 
ruary 24,  Professor  Johnson  wrote  home: 

I  am  in  better  health  than  I  remember  to  have  been  for  10 
years,  and  have  enjoyed  the  winter  weather  very  much.  The 
war  seems  to  have  a  good  effect  on  chemistry.  The  laboratory 
has  19  students,  more  by  two  than  we  have  ever  had  before. 
Our  funds  are  all  in  good  condition  except  some  in  the  Canal 
R.  R.  of  this  State.  Mr.  Sheffield  made  good  the  deficiency 
out  of  his  own  pocket  to  the  amount  of  $500,  one  half  came 
to  me.  I  was  a  little  troubled  for  a  while,  fearing  that  I 
should  be  short  and  behind  in  rent.  I  have  no  other  income 
now  of  consequence  besides  my  salary,  and  that  is  just  enough 
to  get  along  with.  All  analyses  and  odd  jobs  are  stopped  till 
the  war  is  over,  I  suppose.  .   .   . 


a  taste  for  natural  science.  He  first  went  to  New  Haven  to  study  scien- 
tific farming  under  Professor  John  Pitkin  Norton,  with  the  intention  of 
fitting  himself  for  the  life  of  a  farmer.  Later,  on  becoming  Norton 
Professor  of  Agriculture  in  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School,  he  returned  to 
New  Haven,  where  for  more  than  forty  years  he  freely  served  his  univer- 
sity, his  city,  his  state  and  his  country  in  many  forms  of  public  service. 
His  sympathetic  and  kindly  interest  in  all  that  appertains  to  the  progress 
of  humanity  drew  his  associates  very  close  to  him,  and  few  men  in 
academic  life  have  enjoyed  so  wide  a  circle  of  influence  and  usefulness. 


SHEFFIELD  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL       137 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  Morrill 
Land  Bill  and  its  veto  by  President  Buchanan  when 
first  passed  in  1859.  In  1862,  this  bill,  entitled  **An 
Act  donating  Public  Lands  to  the  several  States  and 
Territories  which  may  provide  Colleges  for  the  bene- 
fit of  Agriculture  and  the  Mechanic  Ari;s,"  was  again 
introduced  in  compliance  with  many  petitions,  includ- 
ing one  from  instructors  of  the  SheflBeld  Scientific 
School.  It  passed  both  houses  in  June  and  was  signed 
by  President  Lincoln  July  2,  1862.  Connecticut 
received  under  this  bill  warrants  for  180,000  acres  of 
land,  a  condition  of  the  gift  being  that  the  land  should 
be  sold  and  the  proceeds  invested  so  that  no  part  of 
the  principal  should  be  expended — and  another  pro- 
viso was  that  no  part  of  the  income  should  be  paid  out 
for  buildings.  The  power  of  designating  the  institu- 
tion to  receive  this  grant  was  left  to  the  legislature 
of  each  state.  In  Connecticut  it  was  appropriated  to 
the  Sheffield  Scientific  School,  which  thus  became  the 
*  *  Connecticut  College  of  Agriculture  and  the  Mechanic 
Arts" — the  State  Legislature  in  1863  passing  a  bill 
accepting  the  scrip  and  devoting  the  interest  to  the 
school.  In  1864  a  contract  was  signed  between  the 
State  of  Connecticut  and  Yale  College,  providing  that 
the  income  from  funds  coming  to  the  State  under  the 
Morrill  bill  from  the  National  Land  Grant  should  be 
at  once,  and  forever,  directed  to  the  enlargement  and 
improvement  of  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School,  with 
especial  reference  to  agriculture  and  the  mechanic 
arts.  This  school  was  thus  the  earliest  institution 
actually  to  use  money  derived  from  the  National  Land 
Grant. 


138      LETTER-FILES  OP  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Dr.  George  Bailey  Loring  of  Salem,  Massachusetts, 
later  United  States  Commissioner  of  Agriculture, 
devoted  himself  to  the  promotion  of  scientific  agricul- 
ture and  to  the  publication  of  scientific  literature.  In 
September  1863,  he  asked  Professor  Johnson  to 
address  the  Massachusetts  Board  of  Agriculture,  say- 
ing: 

We  are  obliged  to  depend  on  voluntary  contributions.  I 
have  invited  Mr.  Harris  of  the  Genesee  Farmer,  Mr.  Tucker 
of  the  Country  Gentleman,  Prof.  Rogers  of  Boston,  Prof. 
Wyman  of  Cambridge,  Mr.  Sanford  Howard  and  Mr.  Goodale 
of  Me.  to  take  part  in  the  performances,  I  think  the  occasion 
will  be  an  interesting  one,  and  I  trust  you  will  aid  us  with 
your  presence  and  counsel. 

And  so,  in  December  1863,  Professor  Johnson  lec- 
tured before  the  Massachusetts  Board  at  Springfield, 
renewing  old  friendships  and  forming  new  ones.  His 
long  correspondence  with  Mr.  S.  A.  Goodale,  secre- 
tary of  the  Maine  Board  of  Agriculture,  began  soon 
after  this  meeting.  The  high  personal  character  and 
professional  ability  of  the  men  who  responded  to  this 
appeal  of  Dr.  Loring 's  are  noteworthy.  Nearly  all 
were  warm  personal  friends  as  well  as  co-workers  for 
the  cause  of  agricultural  science.  Professor  Johnson 
took  advantage  of  his  opportunity,  and  in  addition  to 
his  announced  topic,  addressed  this  gathering  upon  the 
subject  of  Agricultural  Education. 

Collaboration  between  Professor  Johnson  and  Mr. 
Goodale  of  Maine  began  in  1865  and  continued  until 
experiment  stations  were  finally  established  in  this 
country.  Mr.  Goodale,  an  enthusiastic  worker  for  the 
advancement  of  scientific  knowledge  and  the  author  of 


SHEFFIELD  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL       139 

numerous  valuable  treatises  on  scientific  agriculture, 
wrote,  in  June  1865: 

Your  opinion  of  the  Maine  Reports  is  highly  gratifying, 
inasmuch  as  I  fancy  you  mean  what  you  say,  which  could 
not  be  said  of  all  the  flattering  remarks  which  have  been  made. 

He  continued: 

Your  offer  to  be  of  service  emboldens  me  to  ask  if  you  may 
not  sometime  have  students  who  would  find  good  practice  in 
analyzing  samples  of  sup.  phos? — and  so  could  have  some 
analysis  done  at  small  charge?  Perhaps  I  mentioned  before 
that  we  have  an  association  of  a  dozen  or  so  of  farmers  who 
have  put  up  a  bone  mill  and  make  some  sup.  phos.,  as  yet  for 
their  own  use,  but  if  the  article  serves  well,  propose  to  furnish 
others  with  a  reliable  article.  I  have  directed  the  manufacture 
thus  far,  and  have  trials  going  on  in  the  field  of  samples  made 
in  various  methods.  ...  If  I  had  the  requisite  skill,  facility 
and  time,  would  like  to  analyze  these  products  and  compare 
results  with  those  of  the  field,  and  so  better  judge  which — on 
the  whole — is  preferable ;  and  it  would  be  something  to  know 
the  chemical  composition  of  what  I  know  to  be  honestly  made 
(if  not  skilfully),  and  of  good  materials. 

Mr.  Goodale  wrote  again  on  November  17,  thanking 
Professor  Johnson  for  analyses  received,  and  said: 

I  shall  be  delighted  to  send  you  specimens  of  products  and 
of  materials  after  we  get  to  work — if  your  assistants  want 
practice  in  analyzing.  I  don't  know  how  it  is  with  others,  but 
working  pro  l)ono  publico  butters  my  parsnips  very  lightly — 
not  quite  to  my  taste. 

Soon  after  his  own  return  to  this  country,  in  1855, 
Professor  Johnson  suggested  Dr.  Pugh  to  the  trustees 
of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Agricultural  Society  as  the 


140      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

best  man  to  place  at  the  head  of  the  new  Pennsylvania 
Agricultural  College,  and  was  an  intermediary  in 
correspondence  on  this  subject.  Mr.  Pugh  wrote  from 
Gottingen  in  September  and  November,  1855: 

I  saw  a  student  sometime  ago  as  I  was  traveling  in  the 
Hartz  mountains,  who  said  he  had  a  friend  who  spent  some 
time  at  the  Hohenheim  School.  He  said  that  Prof.  Wolff  had 
no  reputation  at  all  there.  He  had  not  more  than  1/2  dozen 
"zuhearers"  and  these  all  thought  it  was  "schrecklich  lang- 
weilig;"  he  came  into  the  lecture  room  with  an  armful  of 
books,  and  read  a  little  from  one  and  then  another,  etc.  He, 
this  student,  said  that  Prof.  Wolff  did  not  know  anything 
about  practical  farming ! ! ! — that  he  only  had  some  impractical 
theoretical  views  of  his  own  that  every  farmer  knew  were  of  no 
practical  value  etc,  etc.  Don't  think  that  since  hearing  the 
above  I  have  burned  my  "  Naturgesetzlicher  Grundlagen  des 
Ackerbaus,"  I  merely  wanted  to  remind  you  that  when  such 
men  as  Dr.  Wolff  are  thus  unsuccessful,  when  stupidity  and 
ignorance  obstruct  their  progress,  younger  hands  need  not  lose 
confidence  in  themselves  if  they  don't  meet  with  universal 
success  in  the  same  field.  .  .  .  The  student  whom  I  met  in 
the  Hartz  was  one  who  had  been  a  ' '  Nachmittage  Practicant ' ' 
in  Erdmann's  Lab.  the  first  winter  I  was  in  Leipsic  and  not 
a  very  industrious  one.  .  .  .  He  was  managing  a  farm  in  the 
neighborhood — had  not  studied  chemistry  any  since  that 
winter  and  yet  thought  he  knew  enough  for  a  practical  agri- 
culturist, without  any  advice  from  such  men  as  Prof.  Wolff, 
etc.,  etc.  .  .  .  With  regard  to  the  Penn.  Ag.  School,  I  would 
be  willing  to  accept  the  position  of  Principal  in  the  School. 
Indeed  I  would  take  it  gladly  at  the  end  of  2  years,  it  would 
enable  me  to  make  different  arrangements  before  leaving 
Europe  than  I  otherwise  could  make.  .  .  .  You  can  read  my 
letter  to  Dr.  Elwyn.  I  don't  doubt  but  that  if  one  got  into 
a  place  where  the  arrangements  were  not  the  best  in  the  world 
for  the  promotion  of  ag.  science  he  might  hend  matters  grad- 


SHEFFIELD  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL       141 

ually  into  a  proper  course.  .  .  .  Many  thanks  to  you  for  your 
kindness  in  noticing  me  to  Dr.  Elwyn.  I  hope  I  may  yet  live 
to  return  you  the  favor  in  some  way. 

As  the  result  of  a  proposition  made  to  him  by  Mr. 
J.  B.  Lawes  of  Rothamsted,  England,  in  1857,  Dr. 
Pugli  undertook  a  new  investigation  of  the  question 
at  that  time  so  vigorously  debated  in  France  between 
Boussingault  and  Ville,  as  to  the  assimilability  of  free 
nitrogen  by  plants.  This  work  occupied  two  years, 
and  seemingly  conclusive  results  were  reached  which 
showed  the  assertions  of  Ville  to  be  unfounded.  Most 
interesting  is  Dr.  Pugh's  description,  in  a  letter  to 
Professor  Johnson,  of  the  Rothamsted  Laboratory, 
then  the  only  place  in  the  world  where  so  costly  an 
investigation  could  have  found  such  generous  support. 

Harpenden,  Herts,  Aug.  2nd,  /57. 

My  dear  Johnson, — The  contemplation  of  a  train  of  past 
events  carried  my  mind  back,  this  morning,  to  the  time  that 
I  broke  in  upon  your  meditations  for  the  first  time  at  No.  1678 
West  Strasse.  .  .  .  With  no  part  of  my  course  am  I  better 
pleased  than  with  that  upon  this  Anglo-Saxon  sand  heap. 
But  as  you  are  a  student  of  Liebig,  it  would  hardly  be  safe 
to  say  much  in  favor  of  this  antipodal  climate.  You  will  see 
at  the  head  of  my  letter  a  picture  of  my  present  laboratory. 
It  was  built  at  a  cost  of  1000£  by  the  farmers  of  England  as 
a  testimonial  to  Mr.  Lawes.  They  gave  him  his  choice,  a 
Laboratory  or  its  value  of  Plate.  His  choice  speaks  for  the 
man  quite  as  much  as  do  libelous  statements  about  his  motives, 
and  he  now  expends  from  1000  to  1500£  a  year  in  making 
investigations  that  have  no  more  bearing  upon  his  super- 
phosphate manure  than  they  have  upon  a  mountain  in  the 
moon.    There  are  perhaps  people  who,  incapable  of  a  generous 


142      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

act  themselves,  might  find  a  mercenary  motive  in  his  sustain- 
ing a  school  at  his  own  expense  for  200  poor  children  in  Lon- 
don, or  for  his  offering  the  cottagers  of  this  village  600£  to 
improve  their  cottages  with  so  soon  as  they  raised  1/2  that 
sum,  or  for  his  building  them  a  library  to  try  and  elevate  the 
condition  of  the  laboring  men.  .  .  . 

They  have  supplied  me  with  about  $500.  worth  of  apparatus, 
and  we  have  been  doing  up  the  subject  on  a  scale  unprece- 
dented. I  have  12  glass  shades  3  1/2  ft.  high  and  9  1/2  inches 
in  diameter,  and  under  them,  entirely  isolated  from  the  air, 
we  are  growing  plants  and  forcing  NHg-free  air  into  them 
daily.  Day  before  yesterday  we  had  a  visit  from  Prof. 
Graham,  Noad  (author  of  analysis),  Bolard  (French)  and 
5  or  6  others.  Our  results  indicate  a  confirmation  of  Bous- 
singault.  The  evidence  accumulates.  ...  I  asked  Bolard  how 
he  accounted  for  Ville's  plants  growing  as  they  did.  He 
answered  "II  a  ajoute  sans  doute. "  He  said  nobody  in  Paris 
trusted  them.  Indeed  I  have  not  yet  decided  whether  to  treat 
Ville  as  though  he  didn't  exist  (silent  contempt)  or  to  expose 
him.  Boussingault  said  in  a  letter  the  other  day  to  Dr.  Gilbert 
"from  my  own  experiments  I  am  fully  persuaded  that  plants 
don 't  assimilate  N,  yet, ' '  continued  he,  ' '  so  great  is  my  confi- 
dence in  the  Rothamsted  experiments  that  should  you  get 
an  appreciable  increase  of  N,  I  shall  modify  my  views. "... 
Yours  most  truly,  E.  Pugh. 

In  the  fall  of  1859,  urged  by  a  patriotic  sense  of  duty, 
Evan  Pugh  accepted  the  presidency  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania State  Agricultural  College  and  returned  to 
America,  where  he  employed  his  talents  and  his 
knowledge  in  establishing  his  college  on  a  broad  and 
enduring  basis;  with  such  success  that  at  the  time  of 
his  early  death  in  1864,  he  was  recognized  as  one  of 
the  most  able  of  the  men  then  engaged  in  the  advocacy 
of   scientific   agricultural   education   in   this   country. 


SHEFFIELD  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL       143 

Extracts  from  his  letters  to  Professor  Johnson  during 
this  period  give  an  outline  of  his  work  in  Pennsylvania. 

(E.  P.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

[October  1859]  ...  On  the  3rd  of  last  August  .  .  .  one 
and  a  half  hours  before  starting  [for  America]  I  received  a 
telegraphic  message  informing  me  that  the  Penn.  Ag.  College 
had  sent  me  800  dollars  to  purchase  apparatus  with.  I  then 
left  Liverpool  for  London,  then  to  .  .  .  Dresden  (saw  Stoeck- 
hardt,  who  wished  to  be  remembered  to  you,  and  also  those 
experiments  with  plants  in  water).  Chemnitz  (Dr.  Wunder 
sends  his  Griise)  Leipsic  (Grilse  von  Erdmann).  .  .  .  Ciren- 
cester (saw  Voelcker,  he  thinks  your  summary  in  Silliman's 
Journal  is  good  as  also  does  Stoeckhardt — it  certainly  is,  too). 
And  finally  left  for  New  York  .  .  .  after  a  few  days  came  on 
here  and  saw  Judge  Watts,  the  President  of  the  Board  of 
trustees  of  Penn.  Ag.  College.  ...  I  took  tea  yesterday  even- 
ing with  Dr.  Elwyn.  He  says  you  have  just  published  some- 
thing on  the  American  Phosphates,  I  wish  to  see  it — Can't 
you  send  it?  .  .  . 

By  the  way,  what  about  0  =  8  or  O  =  16  ?  The  English 
chemists  are  drifting  into  O  =  16,  and  Kopp  told  me  that  he 
had  a  great  mind  to  come  to  it  himself,  as  it  was  best,  and  he 
was  only  prevented  by  the  trouble  involved  in  making  the 
experiment.  I  am  studying  about  whether  I  had  better  not 
commence  here  with  O  =  16. 

I  am  not  sure  that  our  ambition,  as  indicated  in  our  cata- 
logue to  which  you  refer, — to  develop  upon  the  soil  of  Penna. 
the  best  Ag.  College  in  the  world  for  the  ag.  student  of 
America — would  not  require  an  apology  to  such  a  venerable 
Institution  as  Yale  with  its  history  of  half  centuries  looking 
down  upon  us,  and  the  concentrated  energy  of  its  ripened 
vigour  now  devoted  to  the  establishment  of  an  ag.  school.  .  .  . 
I  have  been  too  busy  to  get  to  Washington,  but  I  hope  I  yet 
may  do  so.  .  .  .  We  are  doing  all  in  our  power  to  move  our 


144      LETTEE-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

own  legislature  to  $40,000  and  until  we  get  a  little  more  done 
at  home,  I  fear  I  shall  have  to  be  busy  here.  .  .  . 

[1860]  "Why  were  you  not  at  the  Association?  I  wanted 
to  gossip  with  you  about  a  plan  for  making  a  series  of  experi- 
ments on  ag.  practice  with  manures  and  a  project  for  getting 
10  or  15000  dollars  from  Congress  to  do  it  with,  etc.  etc.  .  .  . 

"We  here,  with  imperfect  organization,  over  head  and  ears 
in  debt,  with  buildings  half  finished  and  only  100  students, 
have  consumed  annually  about  $400  worth  of  apparatus  and 
reagents — no  purely  literary  man  could  see  the  use  of  all 
that  expenditure,  and  hence  it  could  not  be  made  through 
him.  I  found  Dr.  Voelcker  at  Cirencester,  calling  on  a  parson 
president  to  approve  of  a  change  in  the  structure  of  a  sand 
bath!! — and  Dr.  Schultz  in  Berlin  working  an  agl.  class  in 
a  garret  because  the  great  University  had  too  many  uses  for 
its  money  to  give  him  more  room ! ! ! — Hohenheim,  and  Pop- 
pelsdorf  and  Tharandt  owe  most  of  their  efficiency  to  their 
standing  alone.  .  .  . 

[1862]  The  "Washington  folks  are  still  talking  about  the 
Agl.  Dept.  and  writing  to  me  about  it.  I  laid  out  a  plan  for 
them  that  will  take  $100,000  to  start  upon.  I  don't  expect 
they  will  get  more  done  than  talk  this  winter.  The  bill  as 
reported,  is  a  humbug,  but  it  may  be  made  something  of  yet. 
I  shall  say  more  about  this  again.  The  agl.  dept.  is  doing  noth- 
ing and  I  fear  it  will  fizzle  out  if  something  is  not  done.  .  .  . 
It  is  a  scientific  and  not  a  practical  man  that  is  wanted  there. 

[1864]  "We  have  had  a  long  hard  fight  on  the  Land  Grant 
Fund — we  have  outflanked  the  enemy  and  spiked  all  his  guns, 
but  the  infernal  guerrillas  still  hover  around  in  the  shape  of 
anonymous  correspondents,  etc.  I  still  have  some  fears, 
though  they  are  very  much  allayed. 

Professor  F.  H.  Storer  occupied  in  Massachusetts  a 
position  analogous  in  many  ways  to  that  held  in  Con- 
necticut by  Professor  Johnson.     On  the  founding,  in 


SHEFFIELD  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL       145 

1870,  of  the  Bussey  Institution  of  Harvard  Univer- 
sity— referred  to  at  the  time  as  **the  nearest  thing  we 
in  Massachusetts  have  to  the  experiment  station,  and 
capable  if  rightly  handled  of  doing  great  good" — Pro- 
fessor Storer  became  its  dean,  as  well  as  professor  of 
agricultural  chemistry  in  Harvard  University.  He 
held  many  tastes  and  sympathies  in  common  with  Pro- 
fessor Johnson.  When  the  letter  following  was  writ- 
ten, he  was  engaged  in  the  general  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Boston. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  F.  H.  S.) 

New  Haven,  Conn.,  June  5th,  1860. 

My  dear  Storer, — I  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  your  good 
offices  in  the  coal  tar  line.  I  should  like  specimens  of  pretty 
good  size  of  the  various  products  viz.,  of  "naptha, "  "carbo- 
line"  and  "dead-oil,"  two  gallons  or  more,  up  to  5  gals,  of 
each.  A  chunk  of  pitch  "as  big  as  a  piece  of  chalk"  would 
be  very  acceptable  as  a  sample.  As  to  napthaline,  1  leave  the 
quantity  to  your  discretion  as  I  have  not  the  slightest  idea 
how  large  the  yield  is,  or  how  much  could  be  "run  off"  "just 
as  easily  as  not." 

I  would  be  glad  to  get  a  few  ounces;  but  would  not  refuse 
it  pound-wise.  The  main  point  is  not  to  abuse  the  generosity 
of  your  friend.  Of  that  you  can  judge.  Don 't  be  afraid  to 
make  the  quantities  smaller,  dovm  to  any  minimum,  if  you 
think  those  I  have  mentioned  are  too  steep ! 

Brush  desires  you  to  give  his  remembrances  to  Warren, — 
also  express  to  him  my  thanks  for  his  kindness  in  rendering 
us  such  service. 

I  neglected  to  invite  you  to  call  at  95  Wall  and  stay  with 
me  whenever  you  are  in  New  Haven.  Do  so  by  all  means, 
and  I  hope  when  I  see  you  next  I  shall  have  some  comfortable 
amount  of  vim  in  me.    Yours  with  thanks,  S.  W.  Johnson. 


146      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Control  of  insect  life  injurious  to  vegetation  is 
now  understood  and  practiced  to  a  very  considerable 
extent,  and  much  precise  information  has  been  col- 
lected in  regard  to  it.  The  state  of  knowledge  of  this 
subject  in  1863  is  reflected  in  this  letter  from  Professor 
Storer : 

My  dear  Johnson, — I  wish  you  would  take  the  trouble  to 
look  at  a  note  by  Letellier  in  Comptes  Rendus,  1837,  IV,  255, 
on  the  destruction  of  insects  (without  detriment  to  plants) 
by  means  of  an  impure  alkaline  cyanide  prepared  by  calcin- 
ing animal  matters  with  lime  or  potash;  and  tell  me  whether 
the  idea  has  amounted  to  anything  in  practice.  Experiments 
go  to  show  that  plants  are  not  easily  hurt  by  the  cyanides, 
do  they  not?  If  this  be  true  it  would  seem  as  if  the  thing 
might  readily  be  carried  out  in  connection  with  that  system 
of  cooking  old  shoes,  woolen  rags,  etc.  in  order  to  activate 
their  nitrogen,  which  was  so  much  in  vogue  in  Germany  a 
few  years  since. 

That  running  riot  of  army-worms,  etc.,  to  say  nothing  of 
our  old  Saxon  friends  the  Maikafer,  always  aggravated  me 
consumedly,  and  it  does  seem  weak  that  we  can't  circumvent 
the  scoundrels.  N.  B.  The  National  Academy  may  like  to 
stick  themselves  in  the  mud  by  attempting  to  solve  the  above 
question  of  circumvention?  "We  shall  have  some  gay  and 
festive  generalizations  when  the  Museum  of  Comp.  Zoology 
comes  foul  of  investigations  of  this  sort.    Yrs.  F.  H.  S. 

In  the  letter  following,  Professor  Storer  recorded 
some  of  the  current  chemical  talk  of  the  day: 

Boston,  Jan.  10,  1864. 

Dear  Johnson, — Yours  of  the  24th  ult.  came  to  hand  a  day 
or  two  since,  "Frank  S."  being  unknown  to  the  contemned 
fool  at  our  P.  O.    You  know  well  enough  how  the  Prophet 


SHEFFIELD  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL       147 

suffers  in  the  place  of  his  nativity  and  will  experience  no  sur- 
prise. There  is,  however,  just  a  shade  of  queemess  in  the 
fact  that  when  Brush  [as]  of  old  directs  to  me  in  N.  Y.  the 
letter  reaches  my  father's  door  quicker  than  the  one  which 
you  sent  straight  to  Boston. 

Egad  old  fellow,  I  should  think  your  stomach  would  ache 
with  a  dozen  of  letters,  or  less,  from  one  chap  sticking  therein. 
However!  I'm  not  specially  exigent  and  am  ready  enough 
to  forgive  sins  of  omission  at  any  time.  Your  name  was 
honorably  mentioned  as  an  undoubted  authority  in  the  matter 
of  scientific  education,  by  Prof.  Woodman  at  the  Institute 
of  Technology  the  other  night.  Woodman  made  several  sen- 
sible remarks  on  that  occasion. 

There  is  little  or  nothing  los  hereabouts.  Warren  (and 
Storer)  are  working  like  beavers — being  in  a  position,  if  ever 
men  were,  to  realize  the  length  of  art  and  brevity  of  life. 
With  myself  this  is  simple  task  work — my  mind  being  well 
nigh  blank. 

J.  Wyman's  experiments  on  spont.  gen.  have  stirred  up 
the  very  liveliest  kind  of  a  fight  in  France — perhaps  you  have 
followed  it,  as  I  have  with  a  good  deal  of  interest,  in  Le 
Courrier  des  Sciences.  I  am  very  anxious  that  Wyman  shall 
publish  his  thoughts  and  views  on  this  subject, — 'twill  then 
ascend  from  its  present  level  quickly  enough,  I  can  assure 
you.  And  this  no  matter  whether  the  dogma  itself  (immacu- 
late conception!)  be  right  or  wrong. 

By  the  way,  was  your  lecture  on  "fermentation"  written 
out?  If  so,  pray  lend  me  the  loan  of  it.  I  have  just  been 
reading  a  lecture  upon  this  subject  by  my  friend  Lieben 
(late  of  Vienna,  now  of  Palermo,  Naples  or  Pisa)  and  am 
very  curious  to  see  how  your  several  minds  have  worked. 
For  a  German  lecture,  Lieben 's  is  excellent. 

Eliot  is  in  a  pension  way  up  outside  of  the  Arch  of 
Triumph — over  to  the  left  as  you  go  out  towards  the  Bois. 
In  the  same  house  boards  a  Prof,  at  one  of  the  Lyc6es,  who  has 
put  E.  through  all  the  lower  educational  sprouts  in  famous 


148      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

style.  Eliot  is  in  the  highest  possible  spirits,  and  is  studying 
the  French  system  of  education  con  amore — root  and  branch. 
He  writes  that  chemical  thoughts  have  no  chance  of  getting 
near  him  at  present.  'Tis  really  jolly  to  read  how  new  sensa- 
tions are  buffeting  the  hay  from  all  quarters.  It  makes  me 
feel,  though,  almost  as  the  Childe  Harold  did  after  he  had 
soared  his  swing. 

E.  is  fortunate  in  arriving  just  as  a  new  minister  of  instruc- 
tion is  ventilating  all  the  dry  bones;  he  says  that  the  news- 
papers and  journals  are  filled  with  discussions  concerning  the 
new  measures.  .  .  .  Yours  ever  truly,         Frank  H.  Storer. 

Li  September  1866,  Professor  Storer  answered 
various  questions  concerning  materials  and  methods 
of  analysis : 

I  have  been  intending  to  inform  my  mind  about  those  peat 
firms  for  a  long  while,  so  that  your  spur  touches  effectively. 
.  .  .  Eliot  will  be  equally  glad  with  myself  to  see  the  light 
of  your  countenance.  We  are  gay  and  festive  in  spite  of 
undue  friction. 

Late  in  the  year  he  wrote: 

Accept  my  love !  I  reproach  myself  with  the  thought  that 
I  failed  to  write  to  you  last  spring  the  address  of  an  artificer 
in  glass — so  ein  rechter,  vornehmer  reicher  (not  a  mere 
blower),  who  much  desires  chemical  custom.  .  .  .  He  is  an 
independent  tinker  who  goeth  about  where  he  listeth,  buying 
molten  glass  in  the  pots  of  various  works  and  fashioning  his 
goods  then  and  there.  I  think  him  capable  of  making  the 
**H2S04  dryer"  which  was  so  near  your  heart  in  the  days  of 
lang  syne. 

This  ''H2SO4  dryer"  was  a  piece  of  apparatus  early 
devised  by  Professor  Johnson  and  fondly  cherished  in 
imagination  for  many  years.  It  assumed  corporate 
form  about  1889,  when  in  his  "Report  of  Director" 


SHEFFIELD  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL       149 

of  the  Connecticut  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
Professor  Johnson  described  the  **Gas  Desiccator" 
which  he  then  had  recently  had  made  by  Greiner 
in  New  York  for  use  in  the  station  laboratory. 

The  spirit  of  the  new  scientific  education,  so  dis- 
trusted by  conservative  classical  scholars,  had  been 
gradually  winning  a  way  in  American  college  circles — 
largely  because  of  the  personality  and  tolerant  atti- 
tude of  some  of  its  foremost  advocates.  In  1869,  Har- 
vard University  took  an  almost  unprecedented  step 
forward  by  choosing  a  layman  and  a  chemist  to  be  its 
official  head.  Whether  this  action,  which  ranged  the 
University  uncompromisingly  on  the  side  of  edu- 
cational progress,  was  regarded  as  a  victory  or  as 
an  experiment  depended  upon  the  vision  of  the 
beholder — men  of  science  in  America  united  in 
acclaiming  it  the  beginning  of  better  days.  The  letter 
of  felicitation,  written  in  the  spirit  of  prophecy  and 
from  a  full  heart,  which  Professor  Johnson  sent  to 
President-elect  Eliot,  has  not  been  preserved.  In 
acknowledging  it.  President  Eliot  said: 

A  victory  implies  that  some  one  is  defeated.  That  is  not 
the  true  aspect  of  my  election.  It  is  simply  an  experiment, 
made  by  the  governing  board  of  the  University  in  a  spirit 
truly  scientific,  I  think.  The  greater  part  of  the  crowning 
will  have  to  be  reserved  for  the  issue  from  the  woods  ten  or 
fifteen  years  hence.  As  you  say,  the  first  and  best  thing  to 
be  done  is  to  show  that  letters  and  science  are  not  mortal 
enemies  but  helpful  friends.  .  .  .  "Vision  and  strength" — 
that  is  well  said — that  is  just  exactly  what  is  needed.  Take 
care  of  your  stomach  and  reserve  yourself  for  the  good  days 
to  come. 


150      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

During  the  years  beginning  with  1864  and  ending 
with  1870,  Professor  Johnson  wrote  three  books. 
**Peat  and  its  Uses  as  Fertilizer  and  Fuel"  grew  out 
of  work  begun  in  the  interests  of  the  Connecticut 
Agricultural  Society.  Published  in  1866,  this  book 
was,  in  1910,  referred  to  in  the  columns  of  a  leading 
agricultural  journal  as  still  true  and  useful,  contain- 
ing all  that  could  today  be  said  on  the  subject,  the 
writer  regretting  because  of  this  fact  that  it  is  now 
out  of  print. 

Professor  Johnson  had  devoted  the  best  powers  of 
his  mind  to  collecting  and  arranging  the  conflicting 
evidence  on  record  in  the  literature.  Therefore  he 
could  teach  his  subject  with  such  certainty  as  the  true 
state  of  knowledge  permitted.  The  results  of  his 
studies  were  set  forth  in  the  two  volumes,  "How  Crops 
Grow"  and  ''How  Crops  Feed." 

''How  Crops  Grow.  A  Treatise  on  the  Chemical 
Composition,  Structure  and  Life  of  the  Plant,  for  all 
Students  of  Agriculture,"  which  was  published  in 
1868,  has  been  perhaps  more  widely  read  and  studied 
than  any  other  work  on  agricultural  chemistry.  It 
gave  a  new  basis  for  the  teaching  of  agriculture  as 
well  as  a  broader  understanding  of  the  principles  and 
the  reasons  of  farm  practice.  In  his  preface  the 
author  said: 

Agricultural  Chemistry  has  ceased  to  be  the  monopoly  of 
speculative  minds  and  is  well  based  on  a  foundation  of  hard 
work  in  the  study  of  facts  and  first  principles.  Vegetable 
Physiology  has  likewise  made  remarkable  advances,  has  dis- 
encumbered itself  of  many  useless  accumulations  and  has 
achieved  much  that  is  of  direct  bearing  on  the  art  of 
cultivation. 


SHEFFIELD  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL       151 

"How  Crops  Feed.  A  Treatise  on  the  Atmosphere 
and  the  Soil  as  related  to  the  Nutrition  of  Agricultural 
Plants"  was  published  in  1870.  Professor  Johnson's 
object  as  stated  by  himself  at  the  time  was  to  "digest 
the  cumbrous  mass  of  evidence  in  which  the  truths  of 
vegetable  nutrition  lie  buried  out  of  the  reach  of  the 
ordinary  inquirer,  and  to  set  them  forth  in  proper 
order  and  in  plain  dress  for  their  legitimate  and  sober 
uses."  He  did  not  seek  "to  excite  the  imagination 
with  high-wrought  pictures  of  overflowing  fertility  as 
the  immediate  result  of  scientific  discussion  or  experi- 
ment," nor  did  he  attempt  "to  make  a  show  of  revo- 
lutionizing his  subject  by  bold  or  striking  specula- 
tions." This  was  characteristic  of  the  man.  It  was 
his  cool,  judicial  weighing  of  the  evidence  and  pre- 
sentation of  results  in  a  clear,  dispassionate  way  that 
gave  these  two  books  their  value  and  commended  them 
to  students  of  agriculture.  They  were  the  beginning 
of  a  new  and  better  agricultural  literature,  and  yet 
their  author  felt  impelled  to  say: 

It  is  a  source  of  deep  and  continual  regret  to  the  writer 
that  his  eflforts  in  the  field  of  agriculture  have  been  mostly 
confined  to  editing  and  communicating  the  results  of  the  labor 
of  others.  He  will  not  call  it  a  misfortune  that  other  duties 
of  life  and  of  his  professional  position  have  fully  employed 
his  energies,  but  the  fact  is  his  apology  for  being  a  middle- 
man and  not  a  producer  of  the  priceless  commodities  of 
science.  He  hopes  yet  that  circumstances  may  put  it  in  his 
power  to  give  his  undivided  attention  to  the  experimental 
solution  of  numerous  problems  which  now  perplex  both  the 
philosopher  and  the  farmer;  and  he  would  earnestly  invite 
young  men  reared  in  familiarity  with  the  occupations  of  the 
farm,  who  are  conscious  of  the  power  of  investigation,  to  enter 


152      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

the  fields  of  Agricultural  Science,  now  white  with  a  harvest 
for  which  the  reapers  are  all  too  few. 

A  few  letters  written  to  Professor  Johnson  in  con- 
nection with  ''The  Crops,"  as  they  were  familiarly 
called,  are  given  a  place  here : 

(J.  B.  L.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

Rothamsted,  St.  Albans, 
February  3,  70. 

Dear  Sir, — On  calling  at  the  Agricultural  Societies'  Rooms 
at  Hannover  Square  this  week,  I  received  a  copy  of  your  book 
"How  Crops  Grow."  How  long  it  has  been  there  I  do  not 
know,  but  I  hasten  to  thank  you  for  it,  and  I  have  so  far  gone 
over  its  contents  as  to  satisfy  me  that  it  is  by  far  the  best 
summary  of  information  in  this  subject  which  has  yet  been 
published.  .  .  .  Believe  me,  Yours  truly,  J.  B.  Lawes. 

(G.  C.  C.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

Ithaca,  April  7th,  1870. 

My  dear  Johnson, — I  received  a  few  days  ago,  a  copy  of 
"How  Crops  Feed."  It  is  of  course  good — excellent — It 
explores  the  ground  gone  over  so  thoroughly,  in  fact,  that,  if 
introduced  as  a  text  book,  you  haven't  left  much  for  a  fellow 
to  lecture  about.  It  came  just  in  time  for  me  to  begin  with 
it  next  term,  in  my  class  in  Agricultural  Chemistry,  and  I 
shall  use  it,  even  though  it  leaves  me  no  opportunity  to  display 
my  own  wisdom. 

Your  reference  to  my  book  in  the  Preface  to  "Fresenius"  is 
very  kind,  as  well  as  the  notice  in  the  American  Journal.  .  .  . 

How  the  ranks  of  Agricultural  Chemists  in  this  country 
are  enlarging.  Goessmann  at  Amherst  and  Goodale  in  Maine 
are  valuable  accessions.    Yours  sincerely,       G.  C.  Caldwell. 


SHEFFIELD  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL       153 

(J.H.G.  TO  S.W.J.) 

Harpenden,  St.  Albans, 
Mar.  25,  1871. 

Dear  Sir ;  On  behalf  of  Mr.  Lawes,  to  whom  you  were  good 
enough  to  send  a  copy  of  your  very  compendious  work  en- 
titled "How  Crops  Feed,"  I  have  to  beg  that  you  will  accept 
his  best  thanks.  The  book  has  indeed  proved  to  be  of  particu- 
lar interest  to  Mr.  Lawes,  embodying  as  it  does  so  much  of  the 
results  of  investigations  made  in  Germany  and  not  otherwise 
recorded  in  the  English  language. 

I  see  that  we  have  sent  you  some  of  our  own  publications 
from  time  to  time,  but  so  far  as  our  records  go  by  no  means 
the  whole  of  them.  I  send  you  by  this  post  Tables  of  Contents 
printed  for  binding  up  with  our  papers,  and  Mr.  Lawes  begs 
me  to  say  that  if  you  will  let  us  know  which  you  do  not  pos- 
sess, he  will  have  pleasure  in  making  your  set  complete  so  far 
as  he  is  able. 

I  am,  dear  sir,     Yours  sincerely,  J.  H.  Gilbert. 

(  H.  v.  L.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

Sehr  geehrter  Herr  Dr. 

Ich  bin  Landwirth  und  Chemiker  und  babe  mich  seit  den 
letzten  Jahren  ausschliesslich  mit  Chemie  beschaftigt.  Mein 
Vater  gab  mir  Ihr  Werk  und  wir  stimmen  darin  iiberein  dass 
es  ein  sehr  gutes  Handbuch  fiir  Landwirthe  ist,  und  sich  auch 
in  Deutschland  viele  Freunde  erwerben  wiirde.  Mein  Vater 
hat  Herren  Vieweg  aufgefordert  eine  Uebersetzung  machen 
zu  lassen,  die  dieser  mir  iibertragen  hat.  Ich  wollte  Sie  nun 
vorher  bitten  mir  Ihre  giitige  Erlaubniss  dazu  zu  ertheilen 
und  etwaige  Wiinsche  mich  wissen  zu  lassen  bevor  ich  an 
die  Uebersetzung  gehe.  Es  wird  nur  sehr  wenig  fiir  deutsche 
Verhiiltnisse  zu  andern  sein  und  diese  hochstens  in  Auslas- 
sungen  bestehen  die  nur  fiir  Amerika  Intresse  haben,  da  es  ja 


154      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

fast  ganz  auf  deutscher  Grundlage  fusst.  Mein  Vater  lasst 
Sie  bestens  griissen.  In  der  Erwartung  einer  baldigen  Ant- 
wort  bin  ich  mit 

ausgezeichneter  Hochachtung 

Ihr  ganz  ergebenster 

H.  von  Liebig. 
Miinchen  den  29  Nov.  1869. 

(H.v.L.  TO  S.W.J.) 

Sehr  geehrter  Herr  Professor 

Erst  jetzt  ist  endlieh,  der  erste  Theil  gedriickt  und  ich 
hoffe  Sie  haben  dureh  "Westermann  einige  Exemplare  erhalten. 
Ich  hoffe,  dass  es  denselben  Anklang  in  Deutschland  finden 
wird  wie  bei  Ihnen,  den  das  Buch  mit  Recht  verdient.  Der 
2ter  Band  ist  auch  bereits  seit  Wochen  fertig  aber  Vieweg 
hat  den  Druck  noch  nicht  begonnen,  was  mir  sehr  unangenehm 
ist.  Ich  habe  grade  in  diesem  Theile  in  manchen  Kapiteki 
grossere  Zusatze  machen  miissen,  indem  ich  grade  als  Prac- 
tiker  aus  eigner  Erfahrung,  manches  was  mir  von  grosserem 
Gewicht  schien  mehr  zu  betonen,  und  auch  etwas  naher  noch 
von  anderer  Seite  zu  beleuchten,  ohne  dess  wegen  Ihre 
Ansichten  zu  bekampfen — wie  Sie  dies  schon  aus  der 
Behandlung  des  ersten  Bandes  in  den  Anmerkungen  ersehen. 
Es  ware  mir  angenehm,  wenn  Sie  sich  dariiber  gegen  mich 
aussprechen,  ob  Sie  mit  der  Uebersetzung  zufrieden  sind,  oder 
was  immer  Sie  fiir  Wiinsche  haben,  damit  ich  mich  danach 
richten  kann.  Ich  habe  Ihnen  gleichzeitig  eine  Arbeit  iiber 
Bodenanalysen  beigelegt,  die  wie  ich  glaube  von  einiger 
Bedeutung  gerade  fiir  die  Praxis  sein  diirften.  Ihr  Buch 
ist  nicht  bios  fiir  Schiiler  geschrieben  sondern  bietet  auch 
dem  Agriculturchemiker  von  Fach  eine  Fiille  vom  Aufgaben 
die  sich  ihm  erschliessen,  wenn  er  wie  hier  die  Arbeiten 
Andrer  im  Zusammenhang  betrachtet.    Ich  selbst  habe  vieles 


SHEFFIELD  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL       155 

aus  dem  Buch  gelemt.  Wie  man  denn  auch  aus  Mangel  bei 
angestellten  Versuchen  erst  auf  das  bessere  gelenkt  wird.  Ich 
freue  mich  schon  wieder  etwas  aus  Ihrer  Feder  geflossenes 
zu  lesen  und  bewundere  die  Gabe  wie  Sie  den  Stoffe  zu  ordnen 
und  zu  behandlen  verstehen,  was  der  hochste  Aufgabe  des 
Lehrers  ja  ist. 

Indem  ich  mich  Ihnen  bestens  empfehle  bin  ich  mit  grosster 
Verehrung  und  freundschaftlichster  Hochachtung 

Ihr  ergebenster 

H,  von  Liebig. 
Miinchen  den  6  Juni  1871. 

Here  are  some  family  letters : 

(S.W.J.  TO  A.  A.  J.) 

New  Haven,  Conn.,  Sept.  3d,  1860. 

Dear  Father, — Pony  and  I  arrived  here  safely  on  Friday. 
...  I  find  that  the  cost  of  keeping  is  $4.00  per  week  (Hay 
$20  per  ton),  but  I  think  I  shall  make  money  out  of  him  in 
health  at  that. 

I  found  the  house  in  good  order,  only  the  garden  was  buried 
in  grass  and  weeds,  but  I  shall  shortly  make  a  scattering 
among  them. 

The  new  Laboratory  is  progressing  finely  and  a  fine  affair 
it  is  going  to  be. 

I  doubt  not  that  I  shall  be  credited  with  a  grateful  spirit 
towards  those  whose  kindness  has  put  Pony  with  his  appur- 
tenances in  my  possession,  but  I  desire  to  place  here  on  record 
my  acknowledgments  to  my  excellent  Parents  for  this  gift 
which  I  trust  will  prove  a  great  blessing  to  me,  and  in  this 
my  precious  wife  fully  unites.  May  God  richly  reward  you, 
dear  Father  and  Mother,  for  all  the  numberless  acts  of  kind- 
ness which  you  have  never  ceased  to  perform  toward — Your 
affectionate  Son,  Samuel. 


156      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  A.  A.  J.  AND  A.  W.  J.) 

February  1861. 

Dear  Father  and  Mother, — Not  infrequently  I  think  and 
say  I  must  write  home,  but  not  being  one  of  the  sort  that  can 
always  do  everything  and  having  about  as  much  to  do  as  I 
can  well  get  along  with,  I  don't  write  very  often.  ...  I  feel 
very  much  as  one  might  imagine  that  ancient  military  man, 
Capt.  Sisera  did  when  the  tender-hearted  Jewess  drove  a 
75-penny  nail  in  his  head. 

I  am  now  lecturing  5  days  per  week  on  Ag.  Chemistry, 
which  keeps  me  pretty  busy.  .  .  . 

Pony  is  a  great  Institution.  I  have  ridden  him  pretty 
steadily  when  the  weather  has  admitted,  and  sometimes  when 
it  didn't.  I  find  his  jolting,  which  I  am  now  accustomed  to, 
is  an  excellent  back-bone  stiffener  and  brain-clarifier.  The 
animal  himself  is  so  full  of  notions,  mostly  good,  that  it  is  a 
perpetual  feast  to  take  him  out.  I  often  ride  with  a  friend, 
a  young  clergyman  who  is  good  company  and  mounts  a  good 
horse,  and  we  can  get  over  the  ground  quite  rapidly  when  we 
attempt  it.  .  .  .  We  have  several  macadamized  or  oyster-shell 
roads  that  are  always  hard  even  in  the  wettest  weather.  The 
long-expected  endowment  has  come  at  last,  and  with  it  I  have 
half  the  day  to  myself,  and  thus  have  time  for  exercise.  .  .  . 
But  I  am  at  the  end  of  the  sheet,  and  have  only  room  to 
inquire  about  your  health  and  send  the  love  of 

Lizzie  and  Samuel. 

The  autumn  of  1862  brought  a  variety  of  conflicting 
emotions  into  the  large  family  circle,  which  up  to  this 
time  had  remained  unbroken.  An  Indian  uprising  in 
Minnesota  caused  anxiety  on  behalf  of  the  loved  ones 
there.  In  a  letter  of  September  22,  Mr.  Abner  A. 
Johnson  wrote: 

The  twins  had  a  letter  from  Sarah  yester-morn,  giving  some 
account  of  the  Indian  war  panic,  the  arrival  of  Jason  from 


SHEFFIELD  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL       157 

Winnebago  City  in  about  24  hours  or  less  (100  miles  or  over), 
and  soon  several  others  who  at  present  stop  with  Sarah,  mak- 
ing quite  a  house  full.  Jason  went  to  Preston  and  raised 
over  100  men  and  some  munitions  of  war,  and  went  on  to 
protect  the  inhabitants  from  massacre.  We  anxiously  wait 
to  hear  from  him.  It  is  stated  that  there  is  a  treaty  being 
made  with  them,  or  a  part.  These  are  troublous  times.  We 
will  hope  for  the  best.  Until  within  two  years  everything  went 
smoothly  on,  as  a  nation  we  knew  little  of  troubles  like  the 
present.  The  rebels  seem  hard  to  conquer,  or  our  military 
leaders  are  greatly  deficient  in  skill  or  loyalty. 

The  times  were  indeed  troublous,  yet  father  and 
son  rejoiced  together  over  the  birth  of  a  child. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  A.  A.  J.) 

New  Haven,  Conn.  Oct.  4—1862. 

Dear  Father, — Yesterday  our  Elizabeth  Annah,  daughter 
of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth,  arrived  safely  at  the  age  of  one 
fortnight.  She  is  named  by  her  mother  after  my  wife  and 
mother.  Last  night  as  she  was  weighed,  we  thought  it  rather 
strange  that  her  Uncle  Abner  and  Aunt  Annah  had  not  signi- 
fied by  any  word  that  has  reached  us,  their  approval  of  this 
newest  grandchild.  It  being  not  impossible  in  these  troublous 
times  that  the  mail  miscarried,  I  hereby  make  avowal  of  the 
advent  of  the  little  angel  and  call  upon  all  concerned  to 
rejoice.  It  is  very  true  she  is  born  into  a  pitiful  world  of 
discomfort,  and  inherits  more  weakness  of  body  and  soul 
than  it  is  comforting  to  think  upon.  Yet  this  birth  may  not 
unlikely  prove  to  her  the  blessed  event  it  has  always  been 
to  those  who  make  it  the  point  of  setting  out  in  a  life  that 
harmonizes  as  well  as  in  its  infirmity  it  may,  with  the  great 
life  of  God. 

Libby  has  written  to  Mother  about  staying  here  with  us 
through  the  winter,  or  until  Jan.    I  much  desire  her  to  remain 


158      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

for  the  sake  of  Lizzie,  who  I  doubt  not  owes  very  much  of 
her  health  and  comfort  to  her  society,  and  not  less  for  her 
own  benefit.  If,  however,  Mother  needs  her  or  only  strongly 
desires  her  presence  at  home,  I  am  sure  both  Libby  and  Lizzie, 
and  myself  not  less,  hold  our  Mother's  claims  in  every  way 
paramount.  .  .  . 

I  am  nearly  resolved  to  dispose  of  Pony,  either  entirely  or 
for  the  winter, — $200  a  year  is  more  than  I  can  well  spend 
on  him,  since,  in  the  present  depression  of  business,  I  have 
few  odd  jobs  or  little  to  rely  upon  besides  my  salary.  What 
had  I  best  do?  .  .  . 

Behold  how  long  a  letter  I  have  written  with  my  own  hand ! 
Affectionately, — with  love  to  all,  Samuel  W.  Johnson. 

(A.  A.  J.  TO  S.W.J.) 

Deer  River,  Oct.  7th,  1862. 

Dear  Son, — Yours  of  4th  inst.  I  just  received  while  at  the 
P.  0.  to  hear  the  war  news  (which  by  the  bye,  was  not  much). 
We  congratulate  you  and  Lizzie  on  the  birth  of  your  little 
angel  daughter,  and  rejoice  none  the  less  because  we  have  not 
written  to  say  we  rejoice.  May  a  kind  Providence  bless  the 
little  stranger  and  parents  too,  and  enable  you  to  "train  her 
up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord"  that  she  may 
be  an  angel  indeed,  whether  her  stay  on  earth  be  longer  or 
shorter.  It  is  our  desire  and  prayer  to  our  common  Father 
daily  that  our  children,  and  theirs,  may  wisely  use  the  time 
given  them  in  laying  up  a  treasure  in  Heaven  and  so  fulfill 
the  great  end  for  which  they  have  a  being  here.  While  you 
rejoice  in  the  gift  you  doubtless  will  feel  the  responsibility 
resting  upon  you  in  consequence  of  the  gift,  as  well  as  all  the 
other  gifts  your  kind  Benefactor  has  bestowed  upon  you.  .  .  . 

Libbie  can  do  as  she  likes  about  staying.  Lizzie  wrote  to 
your  mother  for  her  assent  to  name  her  little  granddaughter 
after  her  and  her  own  mother.  She  assents  cheerfully  to  her 
wishes.    As  to  Pony,  you  can  better  judge  than  I,  as  yet  the 


SHEFFIELD  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL       159 

war  taxes  have  not  been  hard.  How  heavily  they  will  come 
upon  US,  we  do  not  yet  know — but  they  will  be  heavy  there  is 
no  doubt.  In  addition  to  all  other  taxes,  this  town  voted  at  a 
special  town  meeting  to  borrow  $4000  for  bounties  for  volun- 
teers, which  amt.  has  been  loaned  and  the  tax  must  be  levied. 
We  have  heard  nothing  very  recently  from  Jason  or  Sarah. 
The  Indian  troubles  are  rather  subsided,  as  the  papers  say. 
Love  to  all.    Your  affectionate  father,  A.  A.  Johnson. 

In  October,  an  epidemic  of  typhoid  fever  had  started 
in  the  village  of  Lowville.  At  the  beginning  its  nature 
was  not  recognized,  and  Esther  Johnson,  wife  of  Giles 
C.  Easton,  was  one  of  the  early  victims.  Her  death, 
the  first  among  eight  brothers  and  sisters,  was  pecu- 
liarly sad,  as  it  left  two  little  children  motherless. 

(S.W.J.  TO  A.  A.  J.) 

Nov.  22—1862. 

Dear  Father, — I  expected  to  see  Giles  and  did  not  write. 
Why  he  has  not  been  here,  and  why  we  have  not  heard  a  word 
from  home,  is  a  thing  we  don't  understand.  .  .  . 

How  is  Giles, — and  the  pestilence  at  Lowville?  How  are 
the  little  motherless  Hatty  and  Abner?  Poor  children,  how 
my  heart  ached  for  them.  Above  all,  how  is  Mother  since  the 
Winter  began? 

We  all  send  love — 

(A.  A.  J.  TO  S.  W.  J.  AND  E.  E.  J.) 

Deer  River,  Deer.  25th,  1862. 

Dear  Samuel  and  Lizzie, — I  wish  you  and  your  little  daugh- 
ter a  Merry  Christmas.  .  .  .  Esther's  children  are  with  us, 
and  tho'  it  adds  much  to  the  care  and  labor  of  your  mother 
and  sisters  it  is  done  cheerfully.  I  trust  they  will  receive 
their  reward. 


160      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

I  am  glad  that  all  our  children  are  so  good.  God  bless  them. 
May  they  all  continue  to  be  respectable  and  useful.  I  wish 
I  were  able  to  place  them  all  in  circumstances  of  competence 
as  to  this  world's  goods,  believing  most  of  them  have  chosen 
the  good  part  never  to  be  taken  from  them.  .  .  .  Our  best 
love  and  good  will  to  you  three.  Your  Mother's  health  is 
nearly  as  good  as  it  has  been  for  years,  so  far  as  I  can  see. 
Affectionately,  A.  A.  Johnson. 

Early  in  1864  came  another  family  bereavement,  the 
death  of  Mrs.  Abner  A.  Johnson.  In  January  1866, 
Professor  Johnson  wrote  to  the  home  at  Deer  River, 
where  his  three  youngest  sisters  were  caring  for  their 
father  in  his  old  age : 

Dear  Lizzie,  .  .  .  You  may  or  may  not  have  heard  of  the 
National  Academy  of  Sciences,  composed  of  50  scientific  men 
who  are  or  ought  to  be  foremost  in  their  respective  depart- 
ments. Well,  that  body  has  just  held  a  meeting  at  Wash- 
ington, and  has  elected  me  a  member,  I  presume  you  (I 
write  to  Father  and  all  the  family  as  well  as  you,  and  mean 
them  by  "you'')  will  think  full  as  much  of  this  honor  as  I 
do,  which  is  not  a  great  deal,  still  you  know  that ' '  straws  show 
which  way  the  wind  blows. ' ' 

I  have  subscribed  for  a  new  magazine  (English)  called  the 
Argosy.  I  shall  send  the  numbers  to  you — the  three  sisters — • 
to  read  and  keep.  It  begins  very  well,  and  you  will  find  it 
full  of  good  reading  if  it  continues  as  good  as  it  has  com- 
menced. .  .  .  Affectionately — if  rarely  on  paper — ^Your 
brother,  Samuel  W.  Johnson. 

In  connection  with  his  election  at  the  early  age  of 
thirty-six  to  membership  in  the  National  Academy,  it 
may  be  noted  that  Professor  Johnson  possessed  one 
of  the  attributes  of  a  great  teacher,  the  discriminating 
ability  to  discern  and  to  set  forth  clearly  the  basic 


SHEFFIELD  SCIENTIFIC  SCHOOL       161 

truths  of  science.  He  was,  in  his  own  day,  a  master  of 
the  theory  of  his  profession  in  so  far  as  it  had  then 
been  developed,  and  his  skill  in  rendering  useful  to 
practice  the  scientific  and  theoretical  work  of  others, 
together  with  his  ability  personally  to  contribute  to 
the  sum  of  such  work,  was  the  foundation  of  his  use- 
fulness in  the  early  days  of  agricultural  science  in  this 
country. 

Although  Mr.  Abner  A.  Johnson's  strength  was 
rapidly  declining,  his  house  remained  a  center  of  hos- 
pitality. Mrs.  S.  W.  Johnson,  writing  to  her  husband 
from  Deer  River  in  September  of  this  year,  told  of  the 
entertainment  of  old  friends.    She  added : 

Father  put  on  his  best  coat  and  met  them  at  the  dinner 
table — most  hospitably  he  received  them,  nice  old  gentleman 
that  he  is!  I  have  always  admired  your  unfailing  kindness 
and  courtesy  to  our  visitors,  and  I  see  now  you  always  had  a 
good  example. 

Few  more  letters  were  written  either  to  or  from  the 
Deer  River  home,  which  was  broken  up  the  following 
April,  immediately  after  the  death  of  its  builder. 


CHAPTER  VI 

CONNECTICUT  STATE  BOARD  OF  AGRICUL- 
TURE 

The  first  faculty  of  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School 
was  regarded  in  academic  circles  as  a  band  of  radical 
enthusiasts;  the  action  of  the  governing  board  of  the 
school  in  permitting  its  members  to  give  a  part  of 
their  time  to  public  service  was  an  innovation  not  ap- 
proved by  conservatives  who  held  that  extra-curricu- 
lum activity  was  rather  unprofessional;  but  in  spite 
of  the  disapprobation  of  those  who  felt  that  a  college 
professor  should  confine  himself  strictly  to  pedagogi- 
cal duties,  Professor  Johnson  and  his  colleagues  had 
always  carried  on  along  with  their  classroom  work  a 
larger  work  in  the  education  of  the  public.  This  they 
did  on  the  lecture  platform,  in  the  public  press,  and  by 
means  of  personal  influence  exerted  through  a  wide 
acquaintance  with  many  kinds  of  men;  and  the  gov- 
erning board  of  the  school,  sanctioning  their  activity, 
enabled  them  thus  to  set  forth  "a  forceful  illustration 
of  the  power  which  a  scientific  man  can  wield  for  the 
good  of  the  community." 

The  Connecticut  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  formed 
in  August  1866,  continued  and  extended  the  work  of 
the  old  Agricultural  Society;  the  Sheffield  Scientific 
School,  in  its  annual  report  for  1866-67,  which  says 
' '  The  officers  of  the  school  refer  with  pleasure  to  their 
relations  with  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture, ' '  main- 
tained  the   cordial   attitude   of   the   old   ''School   of 


STATE  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE       163 

Applied  Chemistry"  towards  scientific  agriculture. 
Professor  Johnson  took  an  active  part  in  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Board,  and  at  its  first  annual  meeting, 
held  in  Sheffield  Hall,  New  Haven,  he  delivered  two  lec- 
tures; the  one,  **  Recent  Investigations  concerning  the 
Source  and  Supply  of  Nitrogen  to  Crops,"  the  other, 
**The  Principles  which  may  Guide  the  Farmer  in  the 
Selection  and  Use  of  Fertilizers."  On  January  13, 
1869,  he  again  lectured  before  the  Board  of  Agricul- 
ture, talking  on  the  **  Nutritive  Value  of  Grasses  and 
Green  Fodder,  as  indicated  by  Chemical  Analysis  and 
Feeding  Trials." 

His  "Report  on  Commercial  Fertilizers,"  made  to 
the  Connecticut  Board  of  Agriculture  on  April  10, 
1869,  marked  the  formal  resumption,  under  official 
sanction  of  this  Board,  of  work  done  in  connection 
with  the  Agricultural  Society  during  1856  and  succeed- 
ing years.  In  it  were  incorporated  the  results  of  six- 
teen analyses  of  fertilizers,  the  analytical  details  of 
which  were  performed  by  Mr.  W.  O.  Atwater,  who  at 
that  time  was  studying  under  Professor  Johnson's 
direction  in  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School  and  was  also 
acting  as  Professor  Johnson's  private  assistant;  later 
he  became  a  prominent  worker  in  similar  lines  of 
research.  This  report  attracted  attention  outside  of 
Connecticut.  In  November  the  Commissioner  of  Agri- 
culture at  Washington  said  in  a  letter  to  Professor 
Johnson : 

A  floating  paragraph  states  that  you  have  been  engaged 
in  analysing  numerous  samples  of  commercial  fertilizers.  If 
such  be  the  case,  I  would  be  glad  to  have  you  furnish  in  some 
detail  the  result  of  the  investigation  for  the  use  of  this 
Department. 


164      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Professor  George  H.  Cook  of  Rutgers  College  wrote 
from  the  office  of  the  State  Geological  Survey,  on  Sep- 
tember 18,  1869,  commenting  with  approval  on  the 
report,  and  saying: 

Your  straightforward  estimate  of  the  value  of  different  fer- 
tilizers is  producing  a  sensation  among  both  manufacturers 
and  consumers, — and  will  be  of  great  service  to  Agriculture. 

He  closed  his  letter  with  this  sentence: 

The  circulation  of  such  reports  as  that  of  yours  on  fertilizers 
will  be  of  great  use,  and  I  hope  you  will  be  allowed  to  con- 
tinue making  full  and  fearless  reports  on  the  worthless 
manures  which  are  so  common  in  market. 

Professor  Johnson  had  altered  and  improved  the 
text  of  "How  Crops  Feed"  almost  up  to  the  moment 
of  stereotyping  the  pages;  when  its  publication 
relieved  this  strain,  he  found  that  nerve  exhaustion 
complicated  the  malaria  with  which  he  had  suffered 
for  several  years.  A  camping  trip  in  the  Adirondacks 
improved  his  apparent  condition,  and  he  returned  in 
the  fall  of  1870  to  his  college  duties,  lightened  to  some 
extent,  as  he  was  now  relieved  from  daily  superin- 
tendence of  the  analytical  laboratory.  He  wrote  on 
September  20: 

The  Laboratory  is  getting  on  nicely  with  Allen  at  the  head. 
I  have  five  exercises  weekly  (2  ag.  chem.  and  2  analyt.  chem.) 
coming  at  10  o'clock  each  weekday  except  Friday.  I  am  now 
ready,  all  except  health,  to  renew  the  text-book  work.  0 !  I 
would  that  it  were  off  my  hands ! 

During  the  winter  he  refrained  from  all  save  class- 
room work,  but  notwithstanding  careful  living  and  the 


STATE  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE       165 

relinquishment  of  outside  activities  his  health  was  not 
fully  restored. 

In  1872,  the  time  seeming  to  have  arrived  when 
organized  effort  for  the  establishment  of  experiment 
stations  in  this  country  might  meet  with  success,  Pro- 
fessor Johnson,  in  addition  to  giving  his  regular 
courses  of  lectures  and  recitations  in  the  SheflSeld 
Scientific  School,  devoted  much  strength  to  the  sys- 
tematic agitation  of  that  matter,  so  near  to  his  heart. 
A  national  agricultural  convention  was  held  in  Feb- 
ruary at  the  Agricultural  Bureau  in  Washington,  on 
call  from  the  Commissioner  of  Agriculture ;  among  the 
hundred  or  more  delegates  were  Professor  Gilman  and 
Professor  Johnson,  representing  the  Sheffield  Scien- 
tific School.  Professor  Johnson  wrote  home  from 
Washington  on  February  15,  1872: 

Came  in  yesterday  with  a  jolly  company.  Pres'd't  Clark 
of  Amherst,  Mr,  Goodale,  Mr.  Gold,  Gov.  Hyde,  etc.  etc., — 
arrived  here  safely  at  5  P.M.  Found  the  hotels  crammed  and 
jammed,  but  by  heavy  play  on  dignity  got  a  good  5  story  room 
and  now  at  8  A.M.  shall  br'kfast  after  writing  you  a  Une  or 
two  more,  and  then  to  Uncle  Frederick  Watts.  Gen'l  Eaton 
invited  me  to  dinner  this  evening.    Shall  go  of  course. 

This  agricultural  convention  was  effective  in  placing 
the  experiment  station  movement  before  the  people 
as  a  question  of  national  policy,  and  the  publicity  given 
to  its  discussions  aroused  a  wider  interest  in  the  mat- 
ter. From  far  and  near  came  letters  asking  Professor 
Johnson  for  advice  as  to  methods  to  be  pursued  to  gain 
the  best  results — how  should  legislation  be  framed  to 
secure  an  institution  suited  to  the  needs  of  our  people! 
Late  in  the  year  he  was  appealed  to  by  President  Clark 


166      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

of  Amherst  for  information  as  to  the  ''usefulness  as 
shown  by  any  specific  valuable  results  of  the  experi- 
ment stations  of  Europe,"  and  in  January  1873, 
President  Clark  wrote : 

Please  accept  thanks  for  the  valuable  information  this  day 
received.  It  is  just  what  I  desired.  Let  us  rejoice  together 
over  the  prospect  of  the  passage  of  Mr.  Morrill's  bill.  You 
will  of  course  attend  the  Convention  at  Washington  which 
we  have  called  Feb.  27th,  one  week  later  than  was  intended 
when  we  adjourned  last  year. 

In  September  1872,  Mr.  A.  B.  Crandell,  agricultural 
editor  of  the  New  York  Tribune,  wrote,  stating  that 
the  large  agricultural  correspondence  of  that  paper 
contained  frequent  queries  of  a  chemical  nature.  He 
asked  permission  to  refer  such  letters  to  Professor 
Johnson  for  answer,  the  replies  to  be  published  in  the 
weekly  and  semi-weekly  issues  of  the  Tribune  over 
signature,  and  in  closing,  said: 

It  is  not  probable  that  there  will  be  enough  of  them  to 
render  the  duty  at  all  burdensome. 

In  November  of  the  same  year  Mr.  Crandell  asked — 
in  addition  to  replies  to  three  letters  enclosed — for  a 
half -column  article  regarding  the  eifects  of  lime  on  hill 
pastures,  and  went  on  to  say: 

We  shall  also — if  the  terms  named  are  satisfactory — be 
glad  to  have  an  occasional  paper  on  any  subject  you  may 
think  worth  while  to  discuss. 

From  the  first,  the  essays  and  discussions  that 
appeared  over  Professor  Johnson's  name  in  the  Tri- 
bune attracted  attention;  in  a  year's  time  the  volume 
of  his  correspondence  upon  chemical  points  had  so 


STATE  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE       167 

increased  as  to  falsify  Mr.  Crandell's  prediction. 
Still,  appreciating  that  this  newspaper  correspond- 
ence had  developed  into  a  unique  opportunity  for 
missionary  activity  and  was  of  educational  importance, 
reaching  as  it  did  a  national  audience  through  the 
Tribune  columns,  Professor  Johnson  kept  on  mth  it, 
loth  at  heart  to  relinquish  writing  although  he  realized 
that  long-continued  strain  was  telling  on  him.  While 
his  mental  industry  was  incessant,  he  was  constitution- 
ally incapable  of  turning  off  work  hastily.  Not  only 
must  his  knowledge  of  the  point  involved  be  exhaustive 
and  accurate,  but  each  paragraph,  even  if  of  minor 
importance,  was  rewritten  many  times  before  it  was 
parted  with ;  when  finally  sent  off  it  was  as  clear  as  it 
could  well  be  made,  representing  the  best  he  could  do 
with  the  subject,  and  bore  little  trace  of  the  concen- 
trated effort  that  left  its  mark  on  the  author. 

Professor  Johnson  had  set  forth  in  his  report  on 
commercial  fertilizers,  made  to  the  Connecticut  Board 
of  Agriculture  in  June  1870,  the  then  existing  condi- 
tions of  the  applications  of  science  to  agriculture.  His 
opening  sentence  referred  to  his  o\vn  first  exposition 
in  this  country  of  principles,  worked  out  at  the  German 
Versuch-Stationen,  which  he  hoped  would  before  long 
be  brought  into  practical  use  in  American  experiment 
stations.*  He  then  discussed  the  whole  subject  of  the 
analysis  and  valuation  of  fertilizers,  referring  for 
methods  and  standards  to  his  ** Reports"  made  in 
1857,  and  in  1858,  to  the  Agricultural  Society,  and 
describing  the  current  practices  of  the  German  experi- 
ment stations,  of  the  English  and  Scotch  agricultural 

•  See  page  107. 


168      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

societies,  and  of  the  Rothamsted  Laboratory,  which 
was  then  the  private  philanthropy  of  Mr.  (afterward 
Sir)  John  Bennett  Lawes,  the  earliest  English  manu- 
facturer of  artificial  fertilizers,  senior  member  of 
the  celebrated  scientific  partnership  of  *' Lawes  and 
Gilbert." 

Mr.  Lawes  at  an  early  age  instituted  on  his  Rotham- 
sted  estate  a  series  of  field  experiments  upon  soil 
exhaustion  and  rotation  in  crops.  In  the  following 
letter,  after  commenting  upon  the  points  which  particu- 
larly interested  him  in  Professor  Johnson's  lectures 
upon  the  same  subjects  before  the  Board  of  Agricul- 
ture in  1872,  he  expresses  his  recently  proclaimed 
intention  to  provide  for  the  permanent  maintenance  of 
his  Rothamsted  institution. 

(J.  B.  L.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

Kothamsted,  St.  Albans,  Nov.  7,  '72. 

Dear  Sir, — I  have  read  with  much  interest  and  pleasure 
your  paper  on  soil  exhaustion  and  rotation  of  crops,  and  I 
beg  your  acceptance  of  a  summary  of  our  clover  experiments, 
by  which  you  will  see  that  we  have  altogether  failed  to  grow 
clover  by  means  of  manures  placed  at  different  depths  through 
the  soil.  I  think  we  have  almost  exhausted  all  ordinary 
modes  of  field  experiments,  and  I  am  disposed  to  think  that 
the  solution  of  this  problem  will  not  be  effected  until  more 
refined  investigations  are  commenced.  We  are  obtaining 
some  very  interesting  results  on  a  piece  of  permanent  pasture, 
which  at  the  commencement  of  the  experiments  consisted  of 
a  fair  proportion  of  graminaceous  and  leguminous  herbage. 
For  16  years  a  portion  has  been  manured  with  mineral  manure 
alone  without  organic  or  nitrogenous  substances.  Another 
portion  has  the  same  minerals  with  100  lb.  pr.  acre  of  nitrogen 
either  as  nitrate  of  soda  or  salts  of  ammonia.     Where  the 


STATE  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE       169 

nitrogen  is  applied  the  herbage  becomes  almost  entirely 
graminaceous,  the  legurainos«e  being  killed  (not  choked)  ; 
where  the  minerals  are  used  the  leguminosje  have  very  much 
increased.  In  some  instances,  as  in  the  case  where  275  lb.  of 
nitrate  of  soda  is  applied  every  year,  the  produce  of  hay 
annually  is  about  the  same. 

The  mean  annual  produce  of  hay  for  16  years  is: 

cwt. 
Minerals  only  35  1/2 

Nitrate  of  soda  only  36  1/2 

The  nitrogen  in  the  produce  is  higher  where  no  nitrogen 
has  been  supplied  for  16  years  than  it  is  where  100  lb.  has 
been  supplied  annually.  An  analysis  of  the  soil  of  these  plots 
would  be  very  interesting  if  our  processes  are  sufficiently 
accurate  to  be  trusted.  You  may  possibly  have  heard  that  I 
propose  to  place  my  Laboratory,  and  fields,  in  trust  at  my 
death  for  the  benefit  of  science,  and  to  endow  it  with  a  fund. 
Yours  truly,  J.  B.  Lawes. 

Interest  in  Professor  Johnson's  paper  on  soil 
exhaustion  and  rotation  of  crops — a  subject  then  less 
familiar  to  the  agriculturist  at  large  than  it  is  today — 
was  shared  by  the  United  States  Department  of  Agri- 
culture. In  October  1872,  the  Honorable  Frederick 
Watts,  Commissioner,  wrote: 

I  have  read  with  much  interest  and  profit  your  "Soil 
Exhaustion  and  Rotation  in  Crops, ' '  and  it  induces  me  to  ask 
you  to  prepare  an  article  to  be  published  in  the  next  Annual 
Report  of  this  department  on  the  subject  of  the  different  crops 
and  different  manures  and  the  relation  which  they  bear  to 
each  other. — I  do  not  mean  to  dictate  what  shall  be  the  title 
of  any  article,  but  merely  to  suggest  a  general  subject,  leaving 
you  to  determine  what  shall  be  most  practically  useful  to  the 
agriculturists  of  the  country. 


170      LETTEK-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Two  years  later  this  same  paper  on  soil  exhaustion 
was  reprinted  in  the  Eeport  of  the  Michigan  Board  of 
Agriculture — ''for  the  information  of  farmers  in  our 
state."  Its  numerous  previous  republications,  either 
in  whole  or  in  part,  had  by  this  time  made  it  public 
property — Mr.  Goodale,  secretary  of  the  Maine  Board 
of  Agriculture,  said  in  a  letter  dated  August  24,  1872 : 

I  have  just  been  looking  over  your  lectures  given  at  Daniel- 
sonville  and  being  impressed  anew  with  their  gre'at  value  I 
write  now  especially  to  ask  if  you  would  be  willing  for  me 
to  repriat  them  in  my  next  report — and  I  would  like  to  pre- 
face them  with  a  notice  of  ' '  How  Crops  Grow ' '  and  ' '  Feed, ' ' 
commending  them  to  a  place  in  every  farmer's  library.  The 
lectures  would  so  effectually  justify,  endorse  and  enforce  the 
commendation. 

In  May  1873,  Professor  Johnson,  as  chemist  to  the 
State  Board  of  Agriculture,  made  his  report  on  *'Ash 
of  Tobacco."  This  report  was  the  beginning  of  years 
of  work  and  experiment  of  the  greatest  value  to  the 
tobacco-growing  industry  of  Connecticut.  The  inves- 
tigation then  begun  has  since  been  prosecuted  by  the 
Connecticut  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  and  in 
view  of  the  permanent  importance  of  this  work  still 
going  on,  it  is  curious  to  see  reflected  in  a  letter  of  the 
time  how  lightly  it  was  then  regarded  by  the  interests 
it  most  benefited  and  how  precarious  was  the  very 
existence  of  the  Board  of  Agriculture,  whose  modest 
appropriation  alone  made  possible  the  execution  of 
the  analyses  involved  in  the  research.  Professor 
Johnson's  private  assistant  of  the  year  before  wrote, 
in  1874,  inquiring  as  to  the  continuance  of  this  work, 
as  follows: 


STATE  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE       171 

(E.  H.  J.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

Falmouth,  July  17— Aug.  11,  1874. 

My  dear  Professor, —  ...  I  have  seen  no  eulogium  on  the 
yeomen  of  Conn,  coupled  with  an  announcement  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  an  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  in  Conn., 
and  so  conclude  that  either  Mass.  papers  are  not  alive  to  the 
absorbing  question  of  the  day  or  that  the  measure  has  failed 
to  go  through.  ...  I  remember  that  when  I  left  New  Haven 
there  was  some  uncertainty  as  to  the  continuation  of  the 
Board  of  Agriculture.  My  object  in  writing  now  is  to  enquire 
whether  that  body  has  outlived  the  Legislature  and  whether 
you  expect  to  continue  missionary  labor  in  that  field.  If  so, 
and  if  agreeable  to  you,  I  should  like  to  continue  my  labors 
as  last  year.  I  feel  that  another  year  of  your  kind  tuition 
would  be  of  great  advantage  to  me  before  going  "into  the 
world  where  I  must  meet  tribulation"  and  I  think  I  could 
accomplish  more  another  year.  I  am  sorry  to  hear  that  you 
are  still  at  work  in  New  Haven  and  hope  you  will  take  time 
during  this  month  for  some  relaxation.  Don't  cut  the 
Adversary  off  without  one  chance  for  finding  mischief  for 
idle  hands.    Very  truly  yours,  Edward  H.  Jenkins. 

When,  in  April  1875,  Mr.  Lawes  acknowledged  the 
receipt  of  the  Report  on  Tobacco,  he  said : 

In  reference  to  the  recovery  of  76  per  cent  of  the  Nitrogen 
supplied  in  Mr.  Alden  Smith's  crop  as  compared  with  50  in 
my  crops,  you  must  remember  that  my  calculations  are  based 
upon  the  increase  obtained  over  the  unmanured  produce  or 
over  the  mineral  manured  produce, — if  I  used  Phosphates  and 
Ammonia  I  deduct  the  whole  produce  obtained  by  the  phos- 
phates without  Nitrogen.  Large  as  my  loss  of  Nitrogen  in 
artificial  manure  appears  to  be,  I  have  reason  to  think  it  will 
be  exceeded  by  that  in  the  farm  yard  manure.  After  20  years 
application  of  dung  to  Barley  it  was  stopped  in  1872,  and  we 
shall  see  in  a  few  years  what  is  recovered.    I  forward  by  Book 


172      LETTEK-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

post  3  copies  of  a  short  paper  I  have  recently  published. 
There  is  nothing  particularly  new  or  interesting  in  it  in  a 
scientific  point  of  view,  excepting  that  relating  to  Root  crops 
and  their  inability  to  take  up  organic  matter  as  such  from 
the  soil.  For  a  long  time  I  thought  that  one  of  the  properties 
of  Roots,  such  as  mangolds,  turnips,  etc.,  was  to  obtain  carbon 
from  already  organized  matter,  but  after  30  years  experiments 
we  have  no  evidence  of  such  a  fact.  Farmers  here  cannot 
understand  my  views  concerning  the  exhausting  nature  of 
Roots,  they  are  so  accustomed  to  consider  them  as  great 
increasers  of  fertility. 

Early  in  February  1874,  Mr.  Crandell,  of  the  New 
York  Tribune,  begged  for  all  possible  promptness  in 
forwarding  ''copy,"  and  closed  his  letter  thus: 

I  am  highly  pleased  with  the  article  on  the  true  uses  of 
scientific  theory,  and  worked  it  for  a  place  of  honor  in  the 
next  issue.  It  will,  I  trust,  serve  as  an  antidote  to  the  Grad- 
grinds  and  it  throws  an  unexpected  boomerang  at  the  heads 
of  certain  flatulent  individuals  who  send  me  high-sounding 
disquisitions  about  things  they  do  not  understand. 

A  few  days  later,  Mr.  Crandell  wrote : 

The  review  of  Bussey  Bulletin  reaches  me  too  late  for  next 
Weekly,  but  it  has  salt  sufficient  to  save  it  till  another  issue. 
It  is  just  the  sort  of  thing  I  wanted,  and  shows  the  immense 
advantage  of  having  a  job  done  by  a  man  who  has  his 
''Forte." 

Professor  Storer's  graceful  appreciation  of  this 
review  follows : 

Jamaica  Plain,  Mass.,  20  Feb.  1874. 

Dear  Johnson, — Thanks  and  thanks!  I  owe  you  debts  of 
gratitude  both  for  the  writing  of  sweet  discourses  and  for  the 
sending  of  them.  Pleasant  it  is  to  get  a  whiff  of  sympathetic 
appreciation  of  one's  points  and  of  one's  attitude. 


STATE  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE       173 

Besides,  I  have  reread  with  an  entirely  impersonal  interest 
your  reply  to  "S.  G."  and  have  found  it  in  that  sense  a 
remarkable,  neat  bit  of  professional  exposition. 

N.  B.  Why  don't  some  of  you  Conn,  folk  send  us  the 
"State  Reports"  of  that  ilk?  We  have  nothing  since  1869, 
if  my  memory  serves  me  aright, — I  thought  it  "rough"  that 
I  should  first  see  (or  hear  of)  your  article  on  leached  ashes, 
in  the  N.  Y.  Druggists'  Circular. 

In  October,  Professor  Storer  wrote  commenting  with 
approval  upon  some  of  Professor  Johnson's  contribu- 
tions to  the  Tribune.  As  these  articles  often  found 
their  occasion  in  erroneous  statements  widely  believed 
and  repeated  by  many  writers  for  the  agricultural 
press,  they  were  at  times  unavoidably  controversial  in 
tone. 

Jamaica  Plain,  Mass.,  20  Oct.  1874. 

Dear  Johnson, — It  occurs  to  me  that  if  I  don't  send  my 
benediction  soon  there  will  be  small  sense  in  speaking  at  all. 

I  was  curious  to  see  if  anyone  would  catch  the  point  of  H's 
discourse.  The  blunder  was  so  stupendous  that  I  was  forced 
to  study  my  own  skreed  before  I  could  believe  my  eyes.  The 
thing  hit  me  instantly,  of  course,  because  repeated  observation 

(during  the  three  years)  has  enforced  the  lesson  that  W 's 

Superphosphate  was  very  poor  stuff.  But  I  had  doubt  whether 
others  would  notice  the  pit  which  H.  had  dug  for  himself.  I 
said, — for  ray  own  part — "Give  a  rogue  a  rope!" — 'Tis  a 
crying  shame  that  I  can  never  have  a  talk  with  you!  Yours 
sincerely,  F.  H.  Storer. 

Other  letters  which  passed  between  the  friends  dis- 
cussed various  topics,  agricultural  and  professional. 
At  the  time  these  were  written  only  a  tentative  begin- 
ning bad  been  made  in  the  study  of  the  basic  problems 
of  animal  nutrition ;  crude  and  unscientific  notions  on 


174      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

the  subject  were  widely  current,  the  fallibility  of 
which  was  not  proven.  ''Captain  Pierce's  critters" 
alluded  to  in  the  first  of  the  following  letters  were  the 
victims  of  experimental  feeding  similar  to  that  inflicted 
upon  the  better-known  cows  of  Mr.  Miller. 

Jamaica  Plain,  Mass.,  11  April,  1875. 

My  dear  Johnson, — Strange  to  say  I  know  your  hand- 
writing at  sight.  That  I  am  glad  to  see  it  goes  without  talk- 
ing. I  am  proud  and  happy  to  expedite  the  Bulletins  to  their 
several  destinations.  Pray  let  me  know  of  any  one  who  may 
care  to  see  them — or  rather  make  him  let  me  know.  I  can 
tell  from  my  own  sentiments  how  you  must  loathe  to  touch 
pen  to  paper.  Were  it  not  for  this  standing  horror  I  would 
write  you  triweekly.  Thus,  I  wanted  to  ask  didn't  Capt. 
Pierce's  cattle  gnaw  boards  or  "browse,"  or  something  such, 
what  time  they  ate  the  corn  per  sef  There  is  an  old  sea  yarn 
to  the  effect  that  a  ship 's  carpenter  saved  the  cow 's  life,  after 
the  hay  had  gone  overboard  and  she  was  reduced  to  a  diet 
of  meal,  by  gradually  planing  down  a  spare  spar  and  occupy- 
ing her  paunch  and  grinders  with  the  shavings  thereof. 
Many  a  Nanny  goat  has  been  saved  on  long  voyages  by  a 
ration  of  barrel-hoops  enlivened  by  bits  of  biscuit,  and  the 
traditions  of  seafarers  emphasize  the  hoops  more  than  they 
do  the  grain  product,  possibly  of  course  because  the  latter 
had  to  be  sparing. 

That  is  a  very  interesting  lead,  which  I  hope  you  will  follow 
to  the  other  end. 

I  read  your  skreed  on  commercial  manures  with  great  in- 
terest and  commendation — as  I  do  all  your  Tribune  articles. 
Thine,  F.  H.  Storer. 

New  Haven,  Connecticut,  Apr,  17,  1875. 

My  dear  Storer, — Yours  and  the  Bulletins  and  the  spurned 
guerdon  are  all  safely  rec'd  with  thanks.     I  must  rise  to 


STATE  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE       175 

explain  how  mortified  I  was  on  reading  that  Cob  article,  after 
it  was  printed,  to  find  what  I  hadn't  said.  And  the  browsing 
of  Capt.  Pierce's  critters  was  a  point  I  explicitly  asked  him 
about,  and  intended  explicitly  to  state  and  intended  also  to 
query  about  the  browse  of  Miller's  cows,  but  with  a  head 
pothered  about  too  many  things  and  no  digestion  to  speak  of 
to  bolster  it,  I  got  off  the  track,  misled  a  trifle  by  the  query 
whether  bulk  of  Rohfaser  is  needed,  and  hurried  by  many 
things  undone  and  having  to  write  piecemeal.  Bah!  0  for 
a  lodge! — that  last  looks  like  dodge,  well  call  it  dodge,  that'll 
do  as  well  as  lodge ! 

The  Tribune  ''euchred"  me  (whatever  that  is!)  into  an- 
other year's  query  answering.  I  like  it  for  it  leads  me  to 
meditate  on  many  interesting  things,  and  I  don't  like  it  for 
it  compels  me  to  attend  to  many  stupid  things.  I  tried  to  scare 
the  ag.  editor  off  by  naming  a  loud  price,  but  he  swallowed  my 
hook  and  I  am  a  literary  hack  for  1875,  at  least. 

You  may  have  noticed  that  we  have  been  stirring  the  Exp. 
Station  question  here,  last  two  winters  and  summer — I  don't 
suppose  the  General  Assembly  of  Conn,  will  do  anything 
about  it  except  refer  it  to  the  next  Gen.  Ass'y,  but  the  talk 
will  do  good  and  there  are  a  good  many  fine  old  farmers  and 
bright  young  farmers  in  Connecticut  (as  elsewhere  in  New 
England  and  westward)  who  are  getting  their  ag.  College 
education  out  of  the  discussions.  Then  the  S.  S.  School  has 
an  interest  (manly  one)  in  doing  good  to  the  Conn,  farmers. 

My  Sisyphean  bowlder  now  is  a  new  edition  of  "Fresenius' 
Qualitative"  translated  into  new  system — a  real  need  for  our 
School,  and  my  last  push  to  the  Sheffield  Laboratory,  as  I  am 
no  longer  Professor  of  "Analytical"  and  have  given  the 
Labty  over  to  Allen  and  Mixter,  simply  sitting  up  aloft  among 
the  thunder,  a  kind  of  Jupiter  of  reference,  and  when  I  get 
gray  and  sallow  enough — and  I  haven't  long  to  wait, — shall 
be  merry  within,  at  the  awe  I  may  inspire  among  the  youths. 

By  the  way,  we  have  analyzed  a  com  cob,  and  it  doesn't 
come  up  to  the  entkornte  maiskolben  aus  Steyermark  that 


176      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Stoeckhardt  's  young  man  analyzed,  and  that  Wolff,  v.  Gohren, 
Kiilin,  etc.,  quote  as  a  "mittel."  Haven't  the  figures  here  in 
my  Trumbull  St.  attic,  but  will  publish  them  by  and  by. 

I  have  done  a  heavy  amount  of  work  on  P2O5  estimations 
during  two  or  three  years  past,  mostly  with  negative  results, 
don't  know  as  I  shall  ever  get  time  to  write  up.  Before  Carius 
published,  I  had  satisfied  myself  that  pure  H2O  and  common 
air  yield  NH4NO2,  at  temperature  from  20°  to  100°  Centi- 
grade. I  never  did  believe  half  of  Schonbein's  facts,  and  now 
that  Carius  finds  that  ozone  doesn't  oxidize  nitrogen,  I  wish 
old  Schonbein  were  alive  again  to  hear  it !  As  to  P2O5,  I  find 
that  Otto's  use  of  T  to  keep  up  FegOg  and  AI2O3  when  you 
ppt.  P2O5  with  Mg  solution  is  simply  perfect,  if  you  use 
enough  T,  enough  to  give  a  greenish-yellow  solution  and  5  to 
10  grams  of  T  doesn't  impair  the  result  seriously,  but  if  you 
use  too  little  T  and  have  a  reddish-yellow  solution,  you  have 
an  imperfect  separation  of  P2O5.  Ci  is  of  no  use,  Church 
Ville,  and  De  Vill  to  the  contrary. 


Invpried  'rose  "of 

per/oraiet/iin  ii/ii^ 

Jlai/ilier  oni/oHoni 


Thought  I  had  a  method  for  coming  it  over  the  superphos- 
phates in  one  couip,  viz.,  to  aqueous  or  acid  solution,  with  Fe; 
Al,  CaSO^,  &c.  &c,  add  q.  s.  (NHJ2T,  MgSO,,  NH.Cl  and 
NH3 — filter  on  inverted  ''rose"  of  "perforated  tin"  with  flat 
filter  on  bottom,  wash,  without  transferring  ppt.  moisten  with 


STATE  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE       177 

concentrated  Mg(N08)2  sol-,  dry,  ignite,  solve  in  HCl  and 
titre  with  Uran;  but  the  Ca  and  Mg  in  variable  and  large 
quantities  destroy  the  nicety  of  the  Uran  method.  There 
was  no  trouble  in  getting  out  all  P2O5,  free  from  Fe  and  Al. 
In  presence  of  much  Ca,  its  nasty  tartrate  bothered  the  fil- 
tration also.  I  may  make  something  out  of  it  yet,  but  couldn  't 
hitherto  get  with  it  so  quickly  and  goodly  as  by  the  molybdic 
method, — M0O3  for  which,  through  Mixter's  commercial 
talent,  I  get  of  B.  for  $8  per  lb.  (1/2  kilo)  instead  of  the  $12. 
he  so  accommodatingly  charges.  Goodbye.  Come  and  see 
me  and  believe  me,  Yours  as  ever,  S.  W.  Johnson. 

Jamaica  Plain,  Mass.  27  April,  1875. 

Dear  Johnson, — I  rejoice  to  learn  of  your  release  from 
analytic  drudgery,  and  do  heartily  congratulate  you  in  that 
regard — and  the  country  at  large  likewise.  I  am  steadfast 
in  the  faith  (as  I  always  have  been)  that  the  day  of  agricul- 
tural students  is  not  very  far  off.  I  even  dare  to  hope  that 
it  may  come  in  our  time,  and  I  am  sure  that  nothing  can  tend 
more  forcibly  to  help  the  tardy  birth  than  the  putting  of 
yourself  into  that  state  of  "unencumbered  leisure!!!  and 
mind  at  ease"  which  the  poets  dream  of. 

I  shall  look  now  for  the  speedy  issue  of  those  works,  on 
"Tillage"  and  on  "Foddering" — especially  the  latter,  for 
which  the  country  is  clearly  ripe  and  yearning,  .  .  , 

What  you  say  in  praise  of  many  of  your  Conn,  farmers,  and 
of  the  progress  of  things  in  your  state,  consists  entirely  with 
the  opinion  I  had  formed  from  reading  Mr.  Gold's  reports. 
The  excellence  of  the  Connecticut  reports  is  assuredly  a  stand- 
ing proof  of  the  good  influence  which  the  Sheffield  School  has 
exerted  upon  matters  agricultural.  'Tis  a  point  which  Yale 
may  congratulate  herself  upon — freely.  You  are  quite  right 
to  stand  by  the  Tribune, — and  the  Tribune  will  be  foolish  if 
it  lets  you  slip ;  'tis  a  standing  wonder  to  me,  though,  how  you 
can  turn  off  such  good  talk  at  such  short  notice  and  under 


178      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

your  stress  of  work.  Davenport  Fisher  (now  of  Milwaukee) 
expatiated  to  me  last  autumn  in  the  warmest  terms  of  the 
good  you  were  doing  at  the  west  through  your  Tribune 
articles.  Speaking  of  PoOg,  I  have  been  impressed  of  late 
by  the  personal  knack  required  to  get  good  results,  or  rather, 
I  have  encountered  two  or  three  analysts  otherwise  good,  who 
perversely  insisted  in  dragging  down  MgO  in  their  double 
phosphate  of  MgONH4,  while  the  rest  of  us  were  making 
excellent  weather  with  the  same  reagents  and  with  the  same 
"light."  I  have  noticed  also  repeatedly  that  in  presence  of 
a  large  excess  of  Na2S04  the  yellow  phosphomolybdic  ppt.  is 
often  fearfully  sluggish,  and  can  be  moved  only  by  an  enor- 
mous excess  of  the  precipitant.    Yrs,  F.  H.  Storer. 

After  the  exchange  of  several  letters  mth  Professor 
Italo  Giglioli,  later  director  of  the  Agricultural  Exper- 
iment Station  at  Rome,  arrangements  were  concluded 
for  the  translation  into  Italian  of  "How  Crops  Grow." 
On  April  9,  1875,  Professor  Giglioli  wrote: 

I  need  not  tell  you  how  glad  I  will  be  if  the  Italian  edition 
of  "How  Crops  Grow"  contain  your  latest  additions  and 
corrections.  ...  I  see  with  pleasure  that  you  take  interest 
in  the  progress  of  the  Agricultural  Sciences  in  Italy.  Our 
Agricultural  Stations  are  as  yet  very  young,  and  have  not 
yet  taken  that  practical  turn  which  is  so  necessary  in  order 
to  render  them  accessible  and  acceptable  to  the  class  of  Agri- 
culturists in  general;  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  gradually  they 
will  adapt  themselves  better  to  the  local  wants  which  sur- 
round them.  In  the  United  States,  where  the  people  have 
enjoyed  for  such  a  long  time  the  blessings  of  an  excellent 
general  education,  liberally  bestowed  on  all  classes,  you  can- 
not have  any  idea  of  the  difficulties  and  opposition  that  sur- 
round those  who  want  to  improve  the  Agriculture  of  this 
country,  .  .  .  American  Agriculturists  ought  to  take  interest 
in  Italian  cultivations  now  that  some  of  these  seem  to  have 


STATE  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE       179 

been  introduced  in  California.     I  am  glad  to  hear  that  you 
hope  coming  to  Italy. 

Twenty-five  years  spent  under  unwholesome  condi- 
tions had  greatly  affected  Professor  Johnson's  health. 
He  had  practically  lived  in  laboratory  air,  heavily 
laden  with  noxious  fumes;  to  this  was  added  brain 
fatigue  induced  by  literary  work.  He  struggled  on 
through  the  labors  and  disappointments  of  this  year — 
the  account  of  which  belongs  to  the  story  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  experiment  station — until  the  summer, 
when,  to  bear  his  share  in  building  up  the  sub-section 
of  chemistry  just  formed  in  the  American  Association 
for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  he  went  to  Detroit. 
Before  starting  on  this  long,  hot  journey,  he  joined 
for  a  short  time  his  friends.  Professor  and  Mrs.  Nor- 
ton of  New  Haven,  at  their  country  home  on  Shepard 
Hill,  Holderness.  The  peaceful  beauty  of  the  New 
Hampshire  hill  country  was  very  dear  to  him,  and  this 
hospitable  home,  always  freely  open,  was  an  accus- 
tomed refuge.  On  his  return  to  New  Haven  he  found 
a  note  from  Professor  Norton  commenting  upon  his 
activity  at  Detroit: 

I  see  by  the  paper  you  sent  rae  that  you  have  fully  shaken 
off  the  Holderness  laziness,  and  set  to  work  again.  Reading 
half  a  dozen  papers  at  one  session  is  a  rather  precipitate 
recovery  from  the  quieting  influences  of  this  region. 

When  Professor  Johnson  attempted  to  resume  his 
college  duties  at  the  beginning  of  the  fall  terra,  it 
became  evident  that  he  was  seriously  unwell.  After 
a  few  months  under  the  care  of  physicians,  he  went 
abroad,  in  the  hope  that  an  entire  change  of  scene 
would  expedite  his  recovery. 


180      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Just  before  his  departure,  a  correspondent  told  of 
discouragement  and  failure  in  the  attempts  made  in 
Virginia  to  secure  legislation  for  the  prevention  of 
frauds  in  fertilizers,  and  alluded  to  reports  which  had 
reached  him  that  ''the  protective  legislation  of  your 
state  and  section  has  resulted  in  failure. ' '  He  went  on 
to  say: 

In  view  of  the  spirit  you  have  manifested  in  devoting  your 
professional  skill  and  experience  to  the  service  of  the  public, 
I  would  ask  the  favor  of  a  condensed  review  of  the  whole  sub- 
ject, presented;  especially  of  the  remedial  legislation  had,  its 
success  or  failure,  and  the  causes  thereof.  Please  give  your 
views  on  the  reliability  of  chemical  analysis  as  a  test  of  agri- 
cultural value.  ...  As  your  reply  will  be  of  general  interest, 
and  especially  valuable  to  the  struggling  farmers  of  eastern 
Virginia,  I  beg  that  it  may  be  made  public  in  whatever  manner 
you  may  deem  best. 

But  overworked  nerves  had  asserted  their  right  to 
rest  and  this  letter  was  filed  away,  its  request  disre- 
garded. On  hearing  of  his  proposed  trip,  Professor 
Peter  Collier,  an  early  pupil  of  Professor  Johnson, 
and  later  director  of  the  New  York  Agricultural  Sta- 
tion at  Geneva,  wrote : 

I  heard  some  time  since  of  your  poor  health.  .  .  .  Atwater 
called  to  see  me  a  week  ago,  and  is  going  into  the  Experiment 
Station  work.  I  certainly  hope  under  your  advice,  and  had 
hoped  under  your  supervision,  for  the  pursuance  of  this  work 
in  this  country  by  anybody  not  under  you  is  playing  Hamlet 
with  Hamlet  left  out,  as  you  and  everybody  else  knows.  .  .  . 
Now  I  don't  wish  you  to  answer  this  letter  unless  you  have 
lots  of  time  and  feel  like  it,  but  I  do  hope  to  hear  you  are 
better, — yes,  quite  well.  ... 


STATE  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE       181 

Professor  Johnson  wrote  home  with  great  regular- 
ity during  the  four  months  of  his  absence,  in  spite  of 
neuritis,  then  called  ** writer's  cramp."  His  first 
letter  tells  of  pleasant  acquaintances  made  on  ship- 
board : 

Cunard  steamer  Parthia  at  sea,  about  200  miles 

from  Queenstown,  Jan.  14,  1876. 

Dear  wife, — I  am  near  the  end  of  the  ocean  passage  and  for 
the  first  time  on  the  voyage  sit  down  to  write  a  letter.  .   .   . 

We  carry  but  some  25  cabin  passengers  and  there  is  plenty 
of  room,  good  ventilation,  excellent  attendance  arid  general 
sociability.  The  Captain  and  officers  are  pleasant  men,  the 
sailors  are  jolly  and  tarry  (tar-y),  and  the  passengers  are 
mostly  good  fellows  and  appear  to  be  very  well  met.  Most 
of  the  latter  are  business  men.  Two  from  California  and 
Nevada,  two  from  Cape  Colony,  six  from  Canada  and  the 
rest  from  the  "States."  Pleasant  people  are  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
W.  H.  F.  of  New  York,  going  with  two  children  to  south  of 
France  and  Italy.  Mr.  F.  is  a  brother  of  M.  F.,  who  wrote 
a  pleasant  book  of  Recollections  of  Distinguished  People,  or 
something  of  that  sort,  which  I  read  in  the  Club  not  long 
since.  Mamie  F.  is  a  solid  damsel  of  ten  years,  who  takes  her 
rations  even  worse  than  I  do,  and  manifests  an  amount  of 
bodily  energy  quite  astonishing.  Willie  F.  is  a  six  year  old, 
I  should  judge,  and  he  and  I  are  both  very  fond  of  bear 
stories.  His  bears  always  swallow  a  small  boy  and  then  burst. 
Well,  now  I  must  stop  and  walk  deck  for  an  hour  or  so,  for 
the  heat  rises  in  this  poor  head  of  mine  and  the  cold  goes  down 
my  boot-legs  to  the  toes,  and  that  is  a  warning  not  to  be 
slighted.  .  .  . 

The  dose  of  fresh  air  which  I  have  had  since  leaving  home 
is  something  big.  .  .  .  The  smoking  room  on  the  top  deck  is 
the  scene  of  most  hilarity.  With  three  exceptions  all  the  male 
adult  passengers  smoke  and  drink.  The  smoking  room  just 
accommodates  us  all,  and  whist,  "Hot  Scotch"   (a  drink), 


182      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

songs  and  yams  serve  to  sacrifice  the  hours.  I  drop  in 
now  and  then,  when  it  is  dull  elsewhere,  as  when  tired  of 
walking,  or  in  cold  or  rain,  or  when  cold,  and  take  a  hand  in 
the  talk,  or  enjoy  a  quiet  snooze.  Last  night  a  quiet-mannered 
man  but  a  determined-looking  one,  from  'Frisco,  undertook 
to  make  a  time  and  ordered  up  the  drinks  until  he  got  quite 
unsteady,  but  the  other  imbibers  kept  their  heads  and  got  the 
Captain  to  stop  the  supplies.  This  made  a  muss  and  'Frisco 
went  for  the  Captain,  but  was  let  down  so  gently  that  he  seems 
to  feel  almost  happy  again  today.  He  only  brought  $10,000 
gold  for  his  four  months  amusement,  so  he  says!  I  believe 
I  haven 't  mentioned  on  board  the  extent  of  my  supplies !  We 
saw  yesterday  some  porpoises  jumping  in  the  distance,  but 
too  far  away  for  fun.  This  morning  a  ship  under  sail  was 
in  view  to  the  south,  but  still  far  away.  We  are  practically 
alone.  The  ocean  is  so  vast  that  all  the  world's  harbors  are 
a  drop  in  its  bucket,  and  in  steaming  2600  miles  we  have  seen 
but  four  vessels  since  fairly  out  of  New  York.  .  .  . 

Another  afternoon  on  deck  with  Willie  F.  We  walked, 
jumped,  ran  and  told  stories.  This  time  he  wanted  a  snake 
story,  so  I  told  him  of  a  lady  who,  when  a  little  girl,  fed  a 
rattlesnake.  That  story,  with  suitable  details  and  embellish- 
ments, was  pronounced  extremely  satisfactory.  Miss  Mamie 
came  up  just  in  time  to  hear  it.  Then  she  asked  if  I  had  any 
little  children,  and  when  I  explained  the  extent  of  my  house- 
hold and  added  that  the  Mother  in  my  house  was  the  heroine 
of  the  snake  story,  the  children's  gratification  rose  to  the 
highest  pitch.  .  .  . 

Now  my  twelfth  page  is  almost  done,  and  under  a  sky  full 
of  the  stars  that  you  may  be  seeing  in  an  hour  or  two,  under 
the  same  Dipper  that  hangs  low  over  Trumbull  Street  on 
winter  nights,  I  write  goodbye  and  God  keep  you.  ...  To  all, 
best  love,  S.  W.  J. 

While  in  Liverpool  he  greatly  enjoyed  seeing  once 
again  an  old  friend  of  Munich  days.    He  tells  of  this 


STATE  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE       183 

in  a  long  letter  written  in  London,  extracts  from  which 
follow : 

(S.W.J.  TO  E.E.J.) 

Jan.  19— Feb.  8,  1876. 

.  .  .  Returning  on  Tuesday  to  my  hotel  (in  Liverpool),  I 
found  a  messenger  with  a  note  from  Mr.  Muspratt,  and  I  at 
once  accepted  his  invitation  to  dine  that  evening.  Meeting 
him  at  his  oflSce  at  five  o'clock,  I  found  him  fuller  faced  and 
heavier  than  20  years  ago,  but  quite  recognizable  and  very 
cordial.  "We  went  by  rail  some  four  miles  to  Seaforth  at  the 
north  entrance  to  the  Mersey,  and  soon  walked  thence  to 
Seaforth  Hall,  built  by  his  father  35  years  ago.  After  warm- 
ing my  toes  at  the  grate  in  his  den,  I  was  escorted  to  the 
dining-room,  .  .  .  there  was  introduced  to  Mr.  James  Mus- 
pratt the  grandfather,  84  years  old  but  as  hearty  as  talkative, 
and,  bating  a  little  deafness,  as  young  as  any  of  us.  Also  to 
Miss  Muspratt, — the  next  day  she  was  to  go  with  her  father 
to  Cheltenham  to  enter  the  new  Woman's  College.  The  dinner 
passed  pleasantly,  Muspratt  being  a  capital  talker  and  well 
posted  in  American  affairs  and  a  great  friend  of  the  North. 

In  this  dining-room  hung  a  superb  portrait  of  Liebig  by 
Frautschold,  very  similar  to  the  engraving  Brush  gave  me, 
but  painted  since  Liebig 's  death  and  a  better  and  truer  as  well 
as  more  beautiful  portrait.  After  being  shown  all  the  pictures, 
busts  and  statuary,  in  the  dining-room,  library  and  hall  by  Mr. 
James  Muspratt,  I  went  with  Mr.  Edmund  to  take  a  smoke, 
and  an  hour  or  two  passed  in  pleasant  chat  until  at  9.30  the 
cab  came  to  take  me  to  the  station.  .  .  .  Next  day  brought 
me  to  liOndon. 

.  .  .  Friday  and  Saturday  I  walked  about  town  through 
the  once  before  visited  streets,  Oxford,  Regent,  Strand,  Cheap- 
side,  Piccadilly,  Pall  Mall,  etc.  The  old  landmarks  mostly 
remain,  but  many  new  ones  have  appeared.  The  shops  are 
vastly  more  brilliant,  the  statues  and  fine  buildings  more 
numerous  than  20  years  ago.    London  is  in  fact  improved  in 


184      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

the  very  heart  of  it  and  a  grand  city  it  is.  I  never  appre- 
ciated it  so  fully  as  I  do  now.  When  I  was  here  before  I  was 
in  haste  to  see  much  in  a  little  space  and  saw  everything 
very  cursorily.  Now  I  have  walked  day  after  day  through 
the  same  streets,  those  I  have  named,  and  the  solidity  and 
grandeur  of  the  public  buildings,  monuments,  etc.,  impress 
me  more.  .  .  . 

Yesterday  morning  Mr.  Elliott  of  the  N.  Y.  Graphic  pro- 
posed a  walk  to  Regent  Square  where  stands  the  Presbyterian 
Church  which  was  built  for,  and  first  preached  in  by,  Edward 
Irving.  We  found  it  in  15  minutes  travel  in  what  50  yrs. 
ago  was  the  best  part  of  the  city  and  is  still  very  good.  Going 
into  the  gallery  we  found  a  large  and  handsome  building 
well  filled  with  a  most  intelligent  and  attentive  congregation. 
The  shelves  of  all  the  pews  were  black  with  Bibles  and  hymn 
books,  completely  covered,  in  fact,  with  them.  In  the  pulpit 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Dykes,  a  fine  solid-looking  man,  was  speaking 
in  a  most  pleasant  and  dignified  manner.  This  discourse  was 
upon  the  government  of  the  church  and  was  very  learned, 
very  thoughtful,  very  sound.  I  was  a  Presbyterian  again.  .  .  . 
Coming  home  after  church  I  had  a  desperately  hurried  dress- 
ing for  dinner  out,  and  after  getting  myself  in  passable  order 
with  my  best  clothes,  rode  in  cab  to  St.  John 's  Wood.  Reached 
there  just  in  time,  was  very  cordially  rec'd  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Stevens.  .  .  .  Then  Mr.  Stevens  walked  with  me  to  the  ' '  Zoo ' ' 
where  we  saw  the  turtle  200  years  old  (900  lbs.  weight),  the 
elephants,  etc.,  but  hurriedly  and  but  few  of  them  as  it  was 
late.  Returning,  we  had  tea  and  afterwards  talked  until 
10  P.M.  when  I  rode  nearly  home  in  a  'bus  for  three 
pence.  .  .  . 

Last  evening  I  stepped  into  a  church  where  evening  service 
was  going  on.  I  found  a  small  audience,  of  women  mostly, 
with  four  clergymen  officiating.  The  service  was  intoned. 
The  music  was  simple.  The  sermon  was  an  earnest  one  by  a 
very  young  man.  I  was  very  tired  and  the  service  was  medi- 
cine to  me.  ...  I  remain  quite  undetermined  when  I  shall 


STATE  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE       185 

move  on  to  Paris.  The  annoyances  of  travel  really  begin  on 
starting  out  from  London,  and  I  feel  entirely  unequal  to 
encountering  them.  .   .    . 

I  hope  you  will  try  to  get  some  rest, — try  to  get  into  restful 
habits.  Age  is  coming  upon  us  and  it  will  not  be  profitable 
or  pleasant  to  wear  out  too  rapidly.  .  .  .  Sunday  I  heard 
Monsignor  Capel  (Pope's  Legate)  preach  in  the  Chapel  of 
the  Assumption.  A  very  excellent  sermon  he  gave,  that  would 
have  been  in  all  respects  acceptable  in  Trinity  or  Center  at 
New  Haven.  .  .  . 

In  London,  Professor  Johnson  found  his  surround- 
ings comfortable  and  homelike,  he  was  able  to  rest, 
and  so  lingered  until  Dr.  Uricoechea,  then  living  in 
Paris,  took  the  strenuous  measures  indicated  in  this 
note: 

Now  you  lazy  boy,  you  get  up  and  leave  your  nasty  foggy 
climate.  True  we  have  not  very  good  weather  now  here,  but 
it  is  much  better  than  yours  at  all  events.  I  write  to  you  in 
a  hurry  because  I  receive  this  very  moment  a  letter  from  the 
Secretary  of  our  Legation  who  is  coming  over  on  Wednesday, 
and  I  pray  him  to  take  you  along.  Mr.  Guzman  will  probably 
call  on  you  personally.    Hurry  up !  .  .  . 

Mr.  Guzman  called,  his  diplomacy  won  the  day,  and 
Professor  Johnson  cheerfully  accompanied  him  to 
Paris,  where  he  spent  a  delightful  month  with  friends, 
old  and  new.  Letters  to  his  family  tell  of  this  and  of 
his  trip  through  Italy: 

(S.W.J.  TO  E.E.J.) 

Ma  ch^re  Elizabeth, — I  came  abroad  for  change  and  I  have 
it.  Wednesday  morning  at  7  o'clock  my  friend  Mr.  Guzman 
called  for  me  in  London,  and  in  a  trice  I  was  with  him  in  the 


186      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

cab  on  the  way  to  Charing  Cross  Station.  .  .  .  Two  nights 
I  have  slept  in  a  5  franc  room,  on  the  "1st  floor"  (2d  story) 
in  a  pleasant  but  cold  and  noisy  corner  room.  Today  I  have 
ascended  ' '  au  troisieme  "...  Guzman  is  near  at  hand  on  the 
same  floor.  I  have  thus  far  adopted  the  habits  of  the  coun- 
try— begun  the  day  at  9  o'clock  with  cafe  au  lait  and  a 
petit  pain — this  morning  I  ordered  trois  petits  pains.  At 
12  Guzman  and  I  meet  Uricoechea  at  the  Hotel  de  la  Con- 
corde, 26  Boulevard  Malsherbes,  which  is  close  by.  Break- 
fast there  is  eggs  or  cotelettes  de  mouton,  b  'f  steak,  cold  meats, 
etc.,  with  excellent  claret.  At  6  P.M.  we  dine  at  the  same 
place,  a  regular  5  courses,  and  excellent  cooking  and  service. 
English  and  German  spoken  there  by  the  waiters,  as  well  as 
here  where  I  lodge.  The  first  day  of  our  arrival  we  dined 
here  and  it  was  very  good,  but  not  so  "fine"  nor  so  good 
company  as  at  the  Concorde.  Uricoechea  looks  very  well,  not 
quite  so  well  as  eight  years  ago  (almost)  when  at  New 
Haven — he  shows  a  little  gray  hair  on  the  temples — ^but  still 
quite  well.  .  .  .  When  we  arrived  here  "Wednesday  evening 
(Mercredi,  I  must  make  a  "Section"  now  and  then)  we  en- 
tered the  salle-a-manger  where  the  dinner  was  in  progress, 
and  immediately  the  landlady  bounced  upon  Guzman,  seized 
his  hands,  then  patted  his  face,  then  kissed  him — a  compli- 
ment he  returned  very  beautifully — both  talking  and  laughing 
with  genuine  joy  all  the  time. 

Guzman  was  very  enthusiastically  received  also  by  Mr. 
Pacheco,  a  Peruvian  gentleman,  and  in  a  less  pathetic  manner 
by  an  English  lady  staying  here.  Shortly  Uricoechea  arrived 
and  then  we  both  embraced,  etc.,  very  glad  you  may  be  sure 
at  this  meeting  which  a  little  while  ago  was  not  in  our  pro- 
gramme. After  dinner  we  adjourned  to  Mr.  Pacheco 's  room, 
on  our  floor  and  spent  the  evening  until  11  o'clock.  Mr.  P. 
speaks  English,  having  learned  it  in  the  U.  S.  three  yrs  ago 
where  he  traveled  considerably.  Mr.  P.  invited  us  to  visit 
him  again  last  evening  and  "assist"  in  a  Chinese  lesson  he 
was  to  take  from  a  Chinaman  educated  in  French,  Latin,  etc. 


STATE  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE       187 

by  Jesuit  missionaries  in  China.  Mr.  Pacheco  speaks,  as  his 
mother  tongue,  the  language  of  the  Ineas,  and  is  desirous  of 
studying  Chinese  on  account  of  the  many  resemblances.  In 
due  time  Mr.  Ting  Whang  appeared,  a  short,  stoutish,  bright- 
eyed  Celestial,  attired  in  Paris  mode,  and  proceeded  to  give 
the  vowel  and  consonant  sounds  and  the  articles,  pronouns 
and  verb  moods  and  tenses.  It  was  very  interesting.  Uri- 
coechea,  who  is  up  in  languages,  followed,  or  in  many  cases 
went  ahead,  and  the  Castilian  (in  descent),  the  Peruvian  and 
Chinaman  made  lively  work  of  it  for  an  hour  and  a  half, 
discussing  each  pointy  and  practicing  each  sound  and  word. 
After  Mr.  Ting-a-Ling  bade  us  Bon  Soir  we  chatted  together 
in  all  our  languages  until  11  P.M.  when  I  retired  to  my 
refrigerator  au  premier,  stirred  up  my  embers,  warmed  my 
toes  and  went  to  bed.  I  didn't  sleep  very  well,  but  kept  try- 
ing until  9  o'clock  A.M.  when  I  got  my  coffee,  dressed  and 
went  up  to  see  what  Guzman  was  about,  found  him  en 
deshabille.  Pacheco  then  entered  and  while  Guzman  washed 
and  dressed  we  talked  a  la  mar  got.  The  speedy  arrival  of  12 
o'clock  took  Guzman  and  me  to  breakfast.  We  found  Uri- 
coechea  had  been  and  gone.  We  ate  our  eggs  and  cutlets, 
drank  our  bottle  of  excellent  Bordeaux,  and  then  I  went  with 
Guzman  to  his  Bottler,  etc.,  several  calls,  and  returning  began 
this  letter.  Before  dinner  we  walked  up  the  Champs  Elysees, 
went  to  Uri's  to  find  him  out,  and  got  around  at  dinner  time. 
Uri.  had  been  all  day  in  the  Library.  The  table  at  the  Hotel 
de  la  Concorde  was  quite  brilliant,  Guzman  at  head  of  table, 
Uricoechea  next  on  my  side,  then  myself,  then  Mr.  Baron 
Capitaine  Something,  then  Madame  Quelque  Chose,  a  quite 
nice  old  lady,  then  a  young  Madame,  then  Miss  John  Bull 
very  healthy,  etc.  On  the  other  side  of  the  table  opposite 
me,  two  French  damsels — their  papa  looking  like  a  country 
parson,  and  others  not  particularly  discriminated.  The  Baron 
next  me  talks  English,  has  a  chest  like  a  barrel,  from  much 
fencing  and  other  athletics  I  should  say,  and  a  voice  like  a 
locomotive.     After  dinner  we  adjourned  to  the  Salon  for 


188      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

coffee,  where  conversation  kept  the  party  together  for  nearly 
an  hour. 

.  .  .  The  Madeleine  is  the  only  church  I  have  been  in  during 
service.  Today  I  went  with  Mr.  Pacheco  to  the  Louvre.  .  .  . 
Here  and  now,  as  of  old  in  Germany,  I  find  more  pleasure, 
with  few  exceptions,  in  modern  works,  both  paintings  and 
sculpture,  than  in  antiques.  It's  very  stupid,  doubtless,  but 
I  can't  help  it,  and  I  also  enjoy  seeing  men  and  women  more 
than  looking  at  monkeys.  Perhaps  that  argues  for  Darwin- 
ianism?  The  galleries  of  the  Louvre  are  very  fine,  good 
light, — warmed,  most  of  them, — the  rooms  themselves  are  often 
more  elegant  and  interesting  than  the  objects  they  contain. 
This  morning  we  walked  for  nearly  two  hours  through  modern 
sculpture — none  less  than  100  years  old ;  paintings,  from  those 
like  the  Jarves  collection  down  to  French  work  of  the  last 
century,  room  after  room;  vases  and  small  sculptures  in 
agate,  quartz  and  semi-precious  stones;  and  finally  splendid 
Egyptian  and  Assyrian  monuments,  sarcophagi,  etc.  Quite 
instructive  and  very  fatiguing  after  the  second  hour. 

I  now  think  I  shall  move  towards  Italy  in  a  few  days.  I 
begin  to  think  I  should  enjoy  traveling  and  I  have  almost 
decided  upon  a  definite  plan  as  follows:  In  three  days  one 
of  "Cook's  personally  conducted  parties"  leaves  here  for  a 
30  days  Italian  tour  under  the  guidance  of  an  Italian  who 
attends  to  all  the  business  of  the  party  according  to  a  definite 
printed  programme.  .  .  .  Railroaded,  coached,  lodged,  fed 
and  shown  to  all  the  noteworthy  objects  in  the  route,  and  duly 
returned  safe  and  sound!  There  are  objections  to  this  mode 
of  travel.  In  fact  it  is  a  humbug  of  the  most  stupidly  infantile 
and  imbecile  sort,  but  I  am  in  just  the  mood  for  it.  It  gives 
me  an  occupation  without  care.  I  will  try  it.  If  I  thrive 
under  it,  I  will  try  travel  on  my  own  account,  if  not,  I  will 
go  home,  buy  a  horse  and  carriage  and  a  boat,  and  devote 
myself  to  my  family  and  my  muscle.  .  .  . 

March  14,  Venice.  ...  I  arrived  at  Turin  at  8  o'clock. 
There  I  found  Mr.  Giglioli  at  the  hotel,  having  apprised  him 


STATE  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE       189 

of  my  coming.  Had  a  long  walk  with  him  from  9  P.M.  until 
midnight,  in  moonlight,  about  the  city  and  up  a  high  hill  com- 
manding the  city.  He  is  a  very  handsome  and  agreeable  man, 
speaking  English  perfectly. — Was  two  years  in  England — 
his  translation  [of  How  Crops  Grow]  is  shortly  going  to 
press.  .  .  . 

March  30,  Naples.  ...  I  have  enjoyed  Naples  and  can 
tell  you  something  of  its  glorious  nastiness  and  beautiful 
environs  when  we  meet,  but  I  cannot  write.  The  stone  floor 
under  the  carpet  is  like  ice  to  my  feet,  and  my  boots,  just  up 
from  a  subterranean  scullery,  are  like  twice  frozen  rawhide 
to  the  feel.  I  must  be  up  and  stirring  or  the  chills  will  have 
me.  Yesterday  on  the  slopes  of  Vesuvius,  the  tig  trees  were 
pushing  their  young  leaves,  pear  trees  were  in  blossom,  wheat 
was  18  inches  high  and  the  air  was  almost  equal  to  that  of 
Shepard  Hill,  but  not  quite. 

Paris,  Apr.  7,  1876.  .  .  .  Tuesday  to  Turin.  Wednesday 
I  spent  in  company  with  Mr.  Giglioli.  Visited  the  University, 
technical  school,  Ag.  Expt.  Station,  etc.  Wednesday  night 
to  Paris.  .  .  .  The  month  in  Italy  was  most  favorable  for 
outdoor  life.  ...  As  regards  health,  I  think  it  is  now  mainly 
a  matter  of  digestion,  and  I  don't  expect  to  get  right  until  I 
have  had  a  course  of  country  air  and  bodily  exercise. 

During  these  three  months  of  rest  amid  new  sur- 
roundings, with  pleasing  society  that  diverted  and 
amused  him,  Professor  Johnson  had  gained  steadily  in 
nervous  strength,  and  the  prostrating  headaches  came 
less  frequently.  He  avoided,  of  necessity,  the  people 
and  the  places  that,  had  he  been  well,  he  would  of 
all  others  have  longed  to  see.  Only  in  Turin  had  he 
indulged  in  the  keen  professional  pleasure  of  long 
talks  with  Mr.  Giglioli  and  had  made  careful  visits  of 
inspection  to  the  University,  the  Museum  and  the  Agri- 
cultural Experiment  Station,  the  latter  recently  estab- 


190      LETTEE-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

listed.  With  his  return  to  Paris  in  improved  health, 
the  impulse  to  get  back  to  work  was  irresistible  and 
he  soon  started  for  home,  where  he  resumed,  under 
those  abiding  disabilities  which  such  an  illness  ahvays 
leaves,  the  work  which  was  an  integral  part  of  his  life. 
The  friends  who  had  bidden  him  Godspeed  were  there 
to  welcome,  and  among  the  first  to  send  greetings  was 
Professor  Collier: 

Welcome  home  to  you !  I  have  just  heard  from  one  of  my 
laboratory  students  who  has  been  analysing  fertilizers  at  your 
Conn.  Exp.  Station,  of  your  return,  and  I  hasten  to  con- 
gratulate you.  I  do  hope  you  are  wholly  restored,  and  that 
you  may  come  up  to  Vermont  this  vacation.  .  .  .  Somehow 
your  name,  and  your  experience,  is  so  inseparable  with  that 
work  [Experiment  Station]  that  I  can't  but  hope  you  may 
be  connected  with  it,  if  only  as  advisory  head  of  the  concern. 

After  a  summer  spent  in  rest  and  outdoor  exercise. 
Professor  Johnson  was  able  to  resume  his  college  work 
at  the  opening  of  the  fall  term.  For  the  first  time  in 
many  years,  twelve  full  months  had  passed  without  a 
publication  of  any  sort,  and  he  wrote  fewer  non-pro- 
fessional letters  than  ever  before.  In  response  to  one 
of  the  few,  now  lost,  Professor  Storer  wrote  on  the 
18th  of  November: 

I  am  delighted  to  hear  from  you — and  to  get  so  favorable 
an  ac't.  Curiously  eno'  I  had  had  a  mem.  in  my  note  book 
for  a  week  to  ask  Eliot  if  he  had  ever  heard  from  you.  The 
amount  of  the  business  is,  young  man,  that  we  are  both  of 
us  less  young  than  we  were  some  years  since — and  all  organic 
chem.  does  go  to  prove  that  thesis.  Thank  the  Lord  I  don't 
have  to  profess  that  branch  in  my  old  age.  Permit  me  to 
remark  most  emphatically  that  three  lectures  a  week  is  not 
light  work  for  those  kinds  of  men  who  steam  up  and  who  vim 


STATE  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE       191 

it  when  they  work.  .  .  .  Clear  out  those  note  books  of  yours, 
if  you  can,  forthwith,  for  'tis  a  sin  and  a  shame  to  have  your 
fellowmen  run  the  risk  of  wasting  their  powers  upon  trees 
that  you  have  already  climbed.  I  was  particularly  anxious 
last  summer — and  so  I  found  was  Atwater — to  see  that  paper 
on  nitrates  that  you  presented  to  the  Sci.  Assoc,  some  time 
since.  .  .  . 

I  have  missed  you  consumedly  in  the  Tribune,  particularly 
on  account  of  the  hue  and  cry  about ' '  Stockbridge  fertilizers ' ' 
which  has  been  wellnigh  unbearably  strong  in  this  state  of 
Mass.  That  Bruit  needed  to  have  been  grasped  with  a  firm 
hand  before  it  made  much  head.  In  view  of  your  computa- 
tion on  page  364  of  H.  C.  F.  and  of  my  own  computations  in 
C.  B.,  as  to  the  agreement  of  my  expts.  with  mixed  fertili- 
zers,— let  alone  the  whole  tone  and  drift  of  agric.  literature 
for  years, — the  taking  out  and  yet  more  the  giving,  of  a 
patent  for  such  device  was  truly  pitiable,  as  exhibiting  the 
lowness  of  our  status.  .  .  . 

My  isolation  here  is  little  short  of  awe-ful.  I  have  no 
colleagues  for  communion,  no  clientage  of  farmers,  and  abso- 
lutely no  one  but  the  greenest  of  students  to  talk  to.  .  .  . 

I  will  send  you  Part  V  of  our  Bulletin  tomorrow.  We 
mean  to  get  out  another  Part  early  in  '77. 

Poverty  has  reduced  us  to  the  strait  of  resorting  to  a  pub- 
lisher in  the  hope  of  getting  some  salvage,  as  his  circular  will 
explain.  I  will  enclose  it  as  a  piece  of  evidence  and  trust  that 
there  is  no  need  for  me  to  add  that  the  Bulletin  is  still  proud 
to  present  itself  to  the  elected,  and  that  subscriptions  will  not 
be  received  from  our  kindred,  whether  they  be  men  or 
societies.  .  ,  . 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURAL  EXPERI- 
MENT STATION 


To  bring  together  the  story  of  Professor  Johnson's 
connection  with  the  establishment  of  the  experiment 
station  in  Connecticut,  it  is  necessary  to  go  back  to 
December  1873.  He  then  introduced  to  the  Board  of 
Agriculture  at  their  winter  meeting,  as  a  recent 
recruit  to  their  ranks  and  as  the  lecturer  of  the  day. 
Professor  W.  0.  Atwater,  who  had  just  returned  to 
Connecticut  and  a  professorship  at  Wesleyan,  and  who 
had  previously  been  first  student  under  and  then  pri- 
vate assistant  to  himself ;  in  so  doing  he  expressed  his 
personal  satisfaction  in  being  able  to  thus  show  the 
fruit  of  his  own  twenty  years'  labor  in  education  of 
younger  men  in  the  field  of  scientific  agriculture.  After 
Professor  Atwater 's  lecture  before  the  Board,  Pro- 
fessor Johnson  warmly  advocated  the  establishment 
in  Connecticut  of  an  agricultural  experiment  station, 
and  defined  its  proper  work,  speaking  of  ''those  insti- 
tutions which  are  almost  peculiar  to  Germany,  the 
experiment  stations,  where  the  farmers  of  Germany, 
wise  beyond  their  generation  on  this  side  of  the  water, 
support  experimental  gardens,  farms  and  stables,  and 
all  that  is  essential  to  an  institution  designed  not  only 
to  diffuse  the  knowledge  which  has  already  been 
gained,  but  to  gain  knowledge  in  a  multitude  of  direc- 
tions where,  until  these  movements  were  inaugurated  a 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION  193 

few  years  ago,  we  could  see  nothing  but  total  dark- 
ness."   He  went  on  to  say: 

I  wish  that  in  Connecticut  we  might  have  a  similar  insti- 
tution. .  ,  .  It  is  in  the  power  of  Connecticut  to  do  this,  and 
if  we  could  only  see  the  benefits  that  would  flow  from  that 
work,  if  we  could  only  be  put  in  the  position  of  those  who 
in  Germany  inaugurated  these  enterprises,  and  have  kept 
them  up  so  that  now  there  are  more  than  forty  of  these  so- 
called  "experimental  stations"  in  that  country,  every  one  of 
which  is  turning  out  every  year  new  and  solid  contributions 
to  the  art  (because  to  the  science)  of  agriculture, — we  should 
not  rest  until  it  is  done.  I  only  wish  that  I  could  give  up 
the  daily  duty  which  it  is  necessary  for  me  to  follow  and  be  a 
missionary  in  the  State  of  Connecticut,  to  go  around  among 
the  farmers  and  stir  them  up  in  this  matter.  If  I  could  do 
that,  I  should  feel  that  I  might  go  down  to  my  grave  with  the 
reputation  of  having  done  something  for  my  State  which  I 
know  (and  which  some  of  you  who  are  here  before  me  will 
know  sometime,  if  you  do  not  believe  it  now,)  will  be  of  more 
benefit  than  all  the  agencies  which  are  now  working  in  behalf 
of  agriculture  in  this  country.  We  are  simply  grinding  over 
the  old  grist  which  our  fathers  have  given  us;  we  are  dis- 
cussing the  question  of  fertilization,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing, 
just  as  was  done  in  the  days  of  the  old  Roman  Empire.  I 
can  go  to  my  shelves  and  take  down  a  history  of  Roman 
agriculture,  and  can  put  my  finger  on  almost  all  the  good 
ideas  which  you  will  hear  ventilated  in  any  agricultural  meet- 
ing in  this  country, — except  those  which  have  come  within 
the  last  thirty  or  forty  years  from  the  investigations  of  mod- 
ern science.  Why  not  throw  up  some  broader,  straighter  and 
firmer  highways,  whereon  we  can  travel  comfortably  and 
rapidly  without  discomfort  from  dust,  or  peril  from  mire? 
Why  not  make  the  agriculture  of  New  England  the  promi- 
nent achievement  of  her  civilization  ?  What  is  done  in  politics, 
what  is  done  in  war,  what  is  done  in  diplomacy,  may  be 


194      LETTEE-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

written  in  books  and  may  live  in  history,  but  what  is  done 
in  agriculture  must  live  in  the  life  of  the  people. 

The  next  day  Professor  Johnson  delivered,  before 
the  Board,  a  lecture  on  **  Guiding  Ideas  in  the  Use  of 
Fertilizers,"  in  which  he  clearly  defined  some  of  the 
problems  confronting  the  agriculturist,  and  made  an 
earnest  appeal  for  the  application  of  scientific  prin- 
ciples to  everyday  problems : 

The  best  method  of  attaining  truth  is  to  endeavor  earnestly 
but  honestly  to  disprove  what  appears  to  be  true.  If  you  set 
out  with  the  idea  that  you  know  a  thing,  you  can  very  easily 
convince  yourself  that  you  do, — particularly  if  you  have 
admiring  friends  who  know  nothing  about  the  subject.  That 
lies  in  human  weakness.  The  only  way  to  be  certain  you  have 
got  at  the  truth  is  to  go  counter  to  the  current  of  self- 
complacency.  If  you  can  sit  down  deliberately  with  your 
supposed  facts,  and  with  your  theories,  and  try  by  every 
imaginable  test  to  find  where  they  do  not  harmonize,  or  where 
they  do  not  satisfy  strict  logic,  then  and  not  until  then  can 
you  be  pretty  certain  that  you  stand  fair  and  square  on  that 
subject.  That  is  the  temper  of  those  who  are  educated  in 
what  we  call  the  scientific  methods  of  investigation,  especially 
as  taught  in  the  German  schools.  It  was  in  that  spirit  that 
Baron  Liebig  instructed  the  students  who  gathered  in  his 
laboratory  from  all  quarters  of  the  globe  to  learn  the  art  of 
making  discoveries  in  science.  They  were  set  to  testing  the 
truth  of  some  idea,  or  the  correctness  of  some  fact,  or  else  to 
make  new  observations  and  discover  new  facts  to  lead  to  new 
ideas.  It  was  not  the  novelty  or  the  glory  of  discovery,  but 
the  genuineness  of  discovery  that  was  regarded  as  of  first 
importance.  He  listened  patiently  to  their  accounts  of  each 
day 's  progress,  considered  their  plan  of  investigation,  saw  the 
apparatus  or  arrangements  they  devised,  witnessed  the  obser- 
vations they  were  led  to,  and  heard  the  theories  they  imagined. 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         195 

He  encouraged,  but  he  criticised.  He  asked  questions,  sug- 
gested doubts,  raised  objections.  His  students  were  required 
not  only  to  collect  facts,  or  supposed  facts,  and  to  connect  and 
complement  them  by  comparison,  analogies,  and  theories,  but 
they  were  made  to  attack  their  theories  in  every  weak  point, 
and  to  verify  or  disprove  the  supposed  facts  by  repeated 
scrutiny  from  every  side. 

The  science  of  our  time  is  advancing  rapidly  because  it  is 
moving  cautiously,  and  therefore  surely,  and  I  dwell  upon 
this  feature  of  scientific  investigation  because  the  facts  to 
which  I  have  alluded, — the  facts  relating  to  the  kinds  of 
matter  required  by  plants  as  their  food, — are  of  a  positive  and 
firmly  established  sort,  fully  deserving  our  credence  and  fit 
to  be  the  basis  of  our  intelligent  practice.  There  are  various 
kinds  of  evidence.  In  the  schools  of  theology  and  medicine, 
in  law,  and  in  politics,  there  are  numbers  of  doctrines,  and 
numbers  of  statements  which  many  people  believe  to  be  true 
and  many  others  believe  to  be  false.  This  diversity  of  belief 
arises  to  some  degree  from  the  nature  of  the  evidence,  which 
is  often  of  a  kind  that  cannot  be  conclusive.  I  may  believe 
in  the  immortality  of  the  soul ;  you  may  not.  We  can  discuss 
this  question  all  our  days  without  coming  to  a  satisfactory 
demonstration.  Our  belief,  whichever  way  it  runs,  is  a  matter 
of  feeling  as  much  as  of  logic.  The  arguments  which  convince 
me  are  trifles  to  you ;  those  which  settle  your  conviction  have 
no  point  to  me.  But  in  many  things  we  can  come  nearer  to 
the  fact.  If  I  assert  that  when  a  stick  of  wood  burns,  oxygen 
of  the  air  combines  chemically  with  carbon  and  hydrogen  of 
the  wood,  and  that  carbonic  acid  gas  and  vapor  of  water  are 
products  of  the  chemical  change,  I  expect  to  be  implicitly  and 
fully  believed,  because  the  evidence  of  those  statements  is  of 
such  a  sort  that  any  fair  intellect  can  comprehend  it,  and 
evidence  of  a  contrary  sort  there  is  none. 

Before  the  close  of  this  meeting  at  Meriden,  a  com- 
mittee, appointed  to  report  to  the  Board  concerning 


196      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

the  expediency  of  the  establishment  of  an  experiment 
station,  reported  throngh  its  chairman,  Professor 
Johnson,  ''their  unanimous  opinion  that  the  State  of 
Connecticut  ought  to  have  an  experiment  station  as 
good  as  can  be  found  anywhere,  and  they  are  of  the 
opinion  that  the  Legislature  of  the  State  ought  to 
furnish  the  means  for  its  immediate  establishment  and 
for  carrying  it  forward.  They  recommend  that  a  per- 
manent committee  be  appointed  by  this  convention  to 
do  such  work  as  is  necessary  to  bring  this  matter 
before  the  people  and  before  the  Legislature,  and  to 
accomplish  the  desired  result  either  by  direct  legisla- 
tive action  or  by  whatever  means  may  be  necessary  to 
effect  it,  this  committee  to  begin  now  and  to  work  until 
the  thing  is  done. ' ' 

During  1874,  agitation  for  the  establishment  of  a 
State  agricultural  experiment  station  in  Connecticut 
went  on  unremittingly.  Professor  Johnson  took  his 
full  share  of  this,  cooperating  with  his  associates  in 
the  Board  of  Agriculture,  and  endeavoring  to  educate 
the  people  and  their  representatives  in  the  General 
Assembly  to  a  full  understanding  not  only  of  the  bene- 
fits, but  of  the  proper  scope  and  necessary  equipment 
of  a  State  station  which  should  be  able  to  perform  all 
that  its  friends  would  expect  from  it.  He  visited  many 
places  in  the  state,  lecturing  and  leading  discussions 
before  local  organizations  of  farmers.  He  also  pre- 
pared, under  the  title  ''Science  as  a  Means  of  Agri- 
cultural Progress,"  a  full  historical  account  of  the 
agricultural  experiment  stations  of  Europe,  and  the 
benefits  which  would  follow  their  establishment  here, 
which  was  printed  as  a  part  of  the  report  of  the  Shef- 
field Scientific  School  for  the  year.    Ten  thousand  addi- 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         197 

tional  copies  of  ''Science  as  a  Means  of  Agricultural 
Progress"  were  printed  by  the  Connecticut  Board  of 
Agriculture  and  distributed  throughout  the  state,  thus 
bringing  the  subject  effectively  before  the  people. 

Professor  Peter  Collier,  at  this  time  secretary  of 
the  Vermont  Board  of  Agriculture,  wrote  frequently 
and  fully,  telling  of  his  part  in  the  campaign  for  agri- 
cultural progress  in  Vermont.  In  a  letter  dated  De- 
cember 30,  1873,  he  expressed  regret  that  he  was 
unable  to  attend  the  Meriden  meeting  of  the  Connecti- 
cut Board,  and  in  closing,  said: 

So  you  see  the  cause  is  moving,  up  in  Vermont.  I  hope  I 
may  see  you  all  again  this  side  Heaven,  but  really  it  looks 
doubtful,  still  I  hope  you  will  not  forget  one  who  in  certain 
respects  follows  you  as  one  of  his  namesakes  followed  his 
Master,  though  like  him  "afar  off." — 

In  his  letter  of  March  7,  occurs  a  breezy  comment  on 
the  experiment  station  movement  in  Connecticut: 

Are  you  going  up  to  Hartford  on  the  24th  instant?  I  see 
you  are  announced  as  expected,  so  also  am  I.  Well,  the  good 
Lord  has  given  me  sense  enough  to  know  when  I  am  not 
needed,  and  that  is  to  talk  Agricultural  Chemistry  when  you 
are  about,  and  so  I  write  hoping  to  know  whether  you  are  to 
be  there. 

At  the  next  winter  meeting  of  the  Connecticut  Board 
of  Agriculture,  held  in  December  1874,  its  committee 
on  the  experiment  station  reported  a  favorable  recep- 
tion of  the  idea  among  that  part  of  the  community 
which  they  had  been  able  to  reach ;  and  gave  an  account 
of  a  meeting  of  their  committee  before  the  Legisla- 
ture's committee  on  agriculture  where  the  subject  was 
discussed  in  detail  with  a  strong  delegation  of  leading 


198      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

farmers  actively  present.  As  a  result  of  these  efforts 
a  bill  endorsed  by  the  committee  of  the  Board  of  Agri- 
culture had  been  presented  to  the  Legislature.  This 
bill  was  retained  in  the  legislative  committee  on  agri- 
culture until  near  the  close  of  the  session  and  then 
reported  with  the  recommendation  that  it  be  laid  over 
to  the  next  session  of  the  General  Assembly. 

Mr.  Orange  Judd,  editor  of  the  American  Agricul- 
turist and  a  trustee  of  Wesleyan  University,  had 
already  addressed  this  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Agri- 
culture, speaking  in  favor  of  the  experiment  station 
movement  in  one  of  its  practical  aspects,  but  appar- 
ently with  no  understanding  of  the  scientific  features 
involved.  In  the  general  discussion  following  the 
report  of  the  Board's  committee  on  the  experiment 
station,  he  took  a  prominent  part,  finally  proposing  to 
the  meeting  that  an  association  be  formed  and  funds 
raised  by  private  subscription  for  the  immediate  estab- 
lishment of  a  station.  The  discussion  closed  without 
formal  action,  and  this  proposal  was  not  again  brought 
up  in  the  public  meetings,  although  it  was  privately 
and  persistently  agitated. 

At  a  subsequent  meeting  of  the  committee  of  the 
Board  of  Agriculture,  it  was  decided  to  continue  their 
propaganda,  but  not  attempt  any  other  method  of 
raising  funds.  After  this  formal  decision,  Mr.  Judd 
took  the  matter  into  his  own  hands  mthout  any  fur- 
ther consultation  with  the  committee.  Professor  John- 
son was  not  in  sympathy  with  Mr.  Judd's  project,  and 
when  the  measures  advocated  by  the  committee  of  the 
Board,  which  he  believed  to  be  the  best  and  only  per- 
manently useful  ones,  were  defeated  by  agencies  which 
he  had  supposed  pledged  to  the  policies  he   repre- 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         199 

sented,  he  refused  to  participate  in  the  establishment 
of  an  experiment  station  as  a  private  enterprise.  The 
project,  however,  did  not  lack  supporters,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1875  the  Legislature,  through  the  passage 
of  the  following  resolution,  secured  to  Connecticut  the 
honor  of  establishing  upon  her  soil  the  first  agricul- 
tural experiment  station  in  America : 

To  Promote  Agricultural  Interests. 

Whereas,  the  Trustees  of  the  University  at  Middletown 
tender  the  free  use  of  ample  laboratories  and  other  facilities 
for  establishing  and  carrying  on  an  Experiment  Station,  for 
the  general  benefit  and  improvement  of  Agriculture  and 
kindred  interests  of  the  State  of  Connecticut :  be  it 

Resolved  by  this  Assembly:  Section  I.  That  the  sum  of 
seven  hundred  dollars  per  quarter  for  two  years,  is  hereby 
appropriated  to  the  University  located  at  Middletown,  Middle- 
sex County,  to  be  used  in  employing  competent  scientific  men 
to  carry  on  the  appropriate  work  of  an  Agricultural  Experi- 
ment Station;  .  .  . 

An  American  agricultural  experiment  station  in 
Connecticut  was  a  cherished  vision  for  the  fulfilment 
of  which  Professor  Johnson  had  long  worked ;  at  first 
in  cooperation  with  the  Agricultural  Society,  in  whose 
meetings  he  had  introduced  the  idea;  later  in  official 
connection  with  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture, 
founded  by  a  group  of  agriculturists  who  counted  him 
as  their  associate  and  their  leader  in  scientific  thought. 
The  result  of  these  many  years  of  persistent  endeavor 
was  his  identification  with  this  project  in  the  mind  of 
the  public — he  had  come  to  be  generally  regarded  as 
the  man  best  fitted  to  guide  agitation  for  the  securing 
of  a  station  in  this  country  and  to  establish  and  develop 


200      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

its  policy.  Quite  naturally,  therefore,  when  Mr.  Judd 
introduced  and  carried  to  a  successful  issue  his  plan 
for  an  experiment  station  entirely  different  in  scope 
from  the  institution  contemplated  by  the  '^Farmers' 
committee"  of  the  Board  of  Agriculture,  surprise  and 
disappointment  ensued. 

Under  the  legislative  resolution  this  experiment  sta- 
tion was  exclusively  controlled  by  the  trustees  of  Wes- 
leyan  University.  An  impression,  founded  upon  Mr. 
Judd's  utterances  and  personal  attitude,  was  wide- 
spread ''that  the  purpose  of  this  station  was  for  the 
analysis  of  commercial  fertilizers  alone,"  and  to  that 
possible  limitation  was  added  the  probability  that  the 
new  institution  might  become  committed  to  a  short- 
sighted and  mistaken  policy,  voiced  by  resolutions 
passed  in  a  farmers'  club,  which  stated  substantially 
that  they  would  patronize  no  manufacturer  or  dealer 
who  was  not  willing  to  put  his  wares  under  the  control 
of  such  an  institution. 

Professor  Johnson  had  very  clearly  defined  ideas, 
based  on  his  own  long  experience  in  such  work,  as  to 
the  proper  limitations  and  methods  of  exercising 
a  ''fertilizer  control."  He  believed  that  it  was  not 
expedient  "for  the  station  to  attempt  any  formal  and 
systematic  inspection  of  manufactories  or  store-houses 
of  fertilizers  with  the  idea  that  such  inspection  can  in 
any  sense  be  made  a  guarantee  of  the  genuineness  and 
good  quality  of  whatever  is  sent  out  therefrom.  It  is 
held  that  the  liability  of  any  brand  of  fertilizer,  if 
exposed  for  sale  anywhere  in  the  state,  to  be  subjected 
to  the  scrutiny  of  the  station,  at  the  hands  of  con- 
sumers and  in  the  very  condition  in  which  it  is  offered 
to  them,  will  be  the  most  easy,  the  most  healthy  and  in 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         201 

the  long  run,  the  most  certain  and  effectual  method  of 
'control.'  It  has  the  great  advantages  over  any  other 
system  that  it  is  entirely  fair,  that  it  so  distributes 
responsibility  that  the  station  and  its  officers  cannot 
enter  into  the  temptation  or  incur  the  suspicion  of 
favoritism  or  partiality;  it  keeps  the  producer  and 
dealer  constantly  alert  to  hold  their  wares  up  to  a  high 
standard  of  excellence;  and  it  exercises  the  caution 
and  the  intelligence  of  the  consumer  in  a  manner  that 
must  react  favorably  on  every  branch  of  his  business. " 
Professor  Johnson  felt  that  the  work  had  not  been 
rightly  begun,  and  that  it  had  been  taken  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  committee  duly  appointed  for  the  work 
by  a  private  individual  whose  major  interest  was  the 
success  of  his  agricultural  journal.  He  believed  that 
the  station  should  be  an  independent  organization 
rather  than  a  subordinate  department  of  an  unrelated 
institution,  and  that  this  public  work  should  be  done 
with  public  funds,  the  expenditures  being  approved  by 
state  officers,  rather  than  by  private  donors. 

Appropriations  to  the  experiment  station  at  Mid- 
dletown  were  limited  to  two  years.  Before  the  expi- 
ration of  that  time  the  General  Assembly  pro\ided  for 
the  continuation  of  experimental  work  by  the  passage 
of  "an  act  establishing  the  Connecticut  Agricultural 
Experiment  Station"  as  an  independent  State  institu- 
tion ''for  the  purpose  of  promoting  agriculture  by 
scientific  investigation  and  experiment."  The  defini- 
tion thus  incorporated  into  the  legal  existence  of  the 
station  was  the  fundamental  one  for  which  Professor 
Johnson  from  the  first  had  contended — that  the  experi- 
ment stations  of  America  should  aim  to  lead  research 
in  agricultural  science  in  this  country.     The  State 


202      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

granted  five  thousand  dollars  annually  to  the  new  insti- 
tution, and  identified  him  with  its  organization  by  the 
wording  of  the  eighth  section  of  the  act,  which  begins, 
''Professor  Samuel  W.  Johnson  of  New  Haven  is 
hereby  empowered  to  appoint  and  call  the  first  meeting 
of  the  Board  of  Control."  Immediately  upon  organi- 
zation, on  April  11, 1877,  he  was  chosen  director  of  the 
station  and  eighth  member  of  the  Board.  Three  weeks 
later  the  executive  committee,  consisting  of  Professor 
Johnson,  Professor  Brewer  and  Mr.  Webb,  proceeded 
to  equip  the  station  for  actual  work.  Dr.  E.  H.  Jen- 
kins, the  present  director  of  the  Connecticut  Station, 
and  Dr.  H.  P.  Armsby,  formerly  director  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Station  and  now  director  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Bureau  of  Animal  Nutrition,  both  of  whom  had  been 
trained  in  agricultural  chemistry  by  Professor  John- 
son, constituted  at  first  the  entire  staff  of  the  station, 
which — established  on  the  basis  of  Professor  John- 
son's own  previous  work — soon  became  the  model 
upon  which  other  states  patterned  the  experiment  sta- 
tions successively  founded.  It  is  surprising  to  see 
how  well  the  standards  set  in  1877  by  the  Connecticut 
Station  have  been  adhered  to  through  the  growth  of 
our  experiment  stations  into  a  national  system,  em- 
bracing the  many  varied  agricultural  interests  not  only 
of  the  United  States,  but  of  our  arctic  and  tropical 
territories  as  well.  Concerning  the  origin  of  these 
standards,  it  may  be  noted  that  twelve  years  later, 
when  those  interested  in  the  development  of  experi- 
ment stations  began  to  inquire  concerning  the  influ- 
ences which  had  surrounded  their  inception  and  evo- 
lution. Professor  Johnson  filed  this  memorandum 
among  his  papers : 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         203 

This  station  was  the  first  permanent  organization  of  the 
kind  in  America,  and  has  largely  grown  out  of  the  influence 
exerted  by  Professor  John  Pitkin  Norton,  a  pupil  of  Johnston 
in  Edinburgh  and  of  Mulder  in  Utrecht,  who  in  the  year 
1846  became  Professor  of  Scientific  Agriculture  in  Yale  Col- 
lege and  by  his  teachings  and  writings  excited  great  interest 
in  Agricultural  Science  and  prepared  the  way  for  the  appli- 
cation of  scientific  methods  and  results  to  improving  our 
agriculture.—  S.  W.  J.    Oct.  1889. 

In  a  letter  written  December  21,  1877;  Professor 
Johnson  said,  "This  station  was  obliged  to  go  into 
operation  and  work  three  months  before  it  received 
anything  from  the  State,  and  now  has  not  enough  to 
pay  its  liabilities,  and  will  not  have  for  three  months 
to  come."  The  first  six  months'  work,  however,  com- 
prised: A  continuation  of  the  fertilizer  w^ork  which 
Professor  Johnson  had  previously  performed  for  the 
Board  of  Agriculture;  a  series  of  examinations  of 
seeds,  made  in  a  manner  to  establish  their  purity  and 
vitality;  the  commencement  of  an  investigation  of  the 
nutritive  value  of  feeding-stuffs  for  cattle,  in  connec- 
tion wdth  which  Professor  Johnson  review^ed  at 
length — in  his  first  '* Report  of  Director" — a  system 
of  exclusive  corn-meal  feeding  of  cattle  in  winter  prac- 
ticed by  Mr.  Linus  W.  Miller,  pointing  out  the  neces- 
sity of  consideration  of  all  factors  involved  in  such 
problems  and  the  unsafeness  of  ordinary  criteria,  and 
calling  attention  to  the  fact  that  ''the  whole  subject 
[of  cattle  feedinq*]   requires  to  be  w^orked  up  care- 

•  The  first  analyses  of  maize  fodder,  made  in  this  country  according 
to  modern  approved  methods,  were  those  executed  in  the  SheflSeld  Labora- 
tory in  1869  by  Professor  W.  O.  Atwater,  who  was  then  studying  with 
Professor  Johnson  and  who  presented  the  results  of  this  work  as  a  thesis 
for  his  doctor's  degree  iu  June  of  that  year. 


204      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

fully,  as  it  only  can  be  with  the  methods  and  appliances 
of  a  fully  equipped  experiment  station."  A  careful 
study  of  the  relation  of  the  soil  to  water  was  also 
begun  during  this  period,  and  in  the  first  Report,  pub- 
licity was  given  to  a  correspondence  upon  environ- 
ment favorable  and  unfavorable  to  the  development  of 
potato-rot  and  skin-crack,  and  to  an  account  of  the 
conditions  under  which  the  sugar-beet  may  be  success- 
fully raised. 

The  first  bulletin  issued  by  the  station  under  Pro- 
fessor Johnson  was  in  his  own  handwriting.  It  was 
made  by  aid  of  Edison's  electric  pen  and  duplicating 
press,  and  bears  date  of  August  18, 1877.  Copies  of  this 
and  other  early  bulletins  were  sent  to  the  newspapers 
of  the  state  with  the  request  that  they  be  published 
for  the  information  of  readers,  and  to  the  secretaries 
of  the  agricultural  societies  and  farmers'  clubs  of 
the  state — ^these  being  the  only  mediums  through 
which  the  station  could  place  its  publications  in  the 
hands  of  the  farmers. 

Direct  correspondence  regarding  specific  problems 
of  individual  farmers  was  necessarily  a  large  part  of 
the  work  of  the  newly  established  station.  This  has 
now  long  been  superseded  by  the  present  system  of 
bulletins  prepared  by  specialists,  printed  in  generous- 
sized  editions  and  freely  sent  to  all  interested;  but  in 
the  early  years  of  the  Connecticut  Station,  this  field 
was  covered  by  Professor  Johnson's  personal  letters 
in  response  to  inquiries  on  a  vast  range  of  subjects. 
Concerning  this  part  of  the  work  he  wrote  at  the  end 
of  the  first  six  months : 

A  not  inconsiderable  correspondence  has  necessarily  been 
attended  to.    This  has  consisted  not  only  in  the  exchange  of 


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LXU      LETTER-Fn.ES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

fully,  as  it  only  caii  I'e  with  the  methods  aii<i  applianc<is 
of  a  fully  equipped  experiment  station."  A  careful 
study  j{  the  relation  of  the  soil  to  water  was  also 
he.inni  during  this  period,  and  in  the  first  Report,  pub- 
licity was  given  to  a  eorrespondcu(!e  iipon  emiron 
ment  favorable  and  unfavorable  to  the  development  of 
potato-rot  and  skin-crack,  and  to  an  account  of  the 
conditions  under  which  the  sugar-beet  may  be  success- 
fully raised. 

Tlie  first  bulletin  issued  by  the  station  under  Pro- 
fessor Johnson  Vias  in  his  own  handwriting.  It  was 
made  by  aid  of  Edison's  electric  pen  and  duplicating 
press,  and  bears  date  of  August  18,  .1877.  Copies  of  this 
and  other  early  bulletins  were  sent  to  the  newspapers 
of  the  state  AsiiJi  the  request  that  {\wy  be  ]jublished 
for  the  miorl^Mlf^'^A^Ml^t^^^^  ^-  iJl^^IfeSretaries 
of  the  agricuiti^T-^l  t<9[^4'i4x>it>ail^4flaisin9!C['za'  clubs  of 
the  state — these  being  the  only  mediums  tlirough 
vrhich  the  station  could  place  its  publications  in  the 
hands  of  the  farmers. 

Direct  correspondence  regarding?  specific  problems 
of  individual  fanners  was  necessarily  a  large  part  of 
the  work  of  the  newly  established  station.  This  has 
now  long  been  superseded  by  the  present  system  of 
bulletins  prepared  by  specialists,  printed  in  generous- 
sized  editions  and  freely  sent  to  all  interested;  but  w 
the  early  years  of  the  Connecticut  Station,  this  field 
was  covered  by  Professor  Johnson's  personal  letters 
iii  response  to  inquiries  on  a  vast  range  of  subje<!ts. 
Concerning  this  part  of  the  work  he  wrote  at  the  end 
of  the  first  six  months: 

A  not  incoTisiderable  correspondence  has  necessarily  }>een 
attf  ndcvl  to     This  has  consisted  not  only  in  the  exchange  oi 


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STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         205 

letters  on  current  business,  but  also  in  response  to  inquiries 
respecting  the  organization  and  work  of  the  station  that  have 
come  from  Boards  of  agriculture,  official  committees  and 
interested  individuals  in  eight  other  states,  and  in  answers  to 
a  great  variety  of  questions  on  the  value  or  use  of  fertilizers 
and  kindred  topics  from  practical  farmers  in  this  state  not 
only,  but  in  many  others,  from  Maine  to  Texas. 

It  was  undoubtedly  through  this  phase  of  his  work 
that  Professor  Johnson  came  to  see  so  clearly  the  real 
needs  of  the  country  and  how  the  stations  should  be 
developed  to  meet  them. 

For  five  years  the  station  was  housed  in  rooms 
loaned  by  the  governing  board  of  the  Sheffield  Scien- 
tific School.  In  spite  of  small  means  and  cramped 
quarters,  the  institution  was  able  to  demonstrate  its 
usefulness.  Creditable  beginnings  were  made  in  sev- 
eral lines  of  research.  Professor  Johnson  inspired 
these  and  aided  in  their  prosecution;  he  also  devoted 
much  skill  and  ingenuity  to  developing  and  perfecting 
laboratory  methods  of  analysis,  many  of  which  are 
standard  processes  today. 

In  1882,  the  station  moved  into  a  house  of  its  own, 
with  an  annual  appropriation  increased  to  eight  thou- 
sand dollars;  and,  under  a  new  fertilizer  law,  the 
license  fees  paid  by  all  dealers  in  fertilizers  in  the 
state  also  became  a  part  of  its  income. 

In  1887,  the  passage  by  Congress  of  a  bill  popularly 
known  as  the  Hatch  act  granted  Federal  funds  to  the 
State  experiment  stations,  and  provided  for  a  central 
advisory  bureau  under  the  control  of  the  Department 
of  Agriculture.  The  first  ''object  and  duty"  of  an 
experiment  station  mentioned  in  the  Hatch  act  is  "to 
conduct  original  researches  or  verify  experiments  on 


206      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

the  physiology  of  plants  and  animals";  and  the  first 
use  made  by  the  Connecticut  Station  of  income  from 
the  Hatch  fund  was  to  establish  a  new  department  for 
the  investigation  of  fungous  diseases  of  plants.  Dr. 
Roland  Thaxter  (who  resigned  after  three  years'  ser- 
vice to  accept  a  professorship  in  Harvard)  was  the 
first  mycologist  in  charge  of  this  department.  During 
his  term  of  office  he  identified  and  described  the 
organism  causing  potato-scab — Oospora  Scabies — 
which  had  long  been  uncertain  and  a  subject  of  con- 
troversy. His  successors  in  the  department  have 
maintained  the  high  standard  set  at  its  inception.  In 
1889,  at  Professor  Johnson's  desire,  Dr.  Thomas  B. 
Osborne,  a  member  of  the  station  staff,  undertook  a 
study  of  the  nitrogenous  matters  contained  in  the 
kernels  of  oats.  This  investigation  also  was  supported 
by  the  income  of  the  Hatch  fund.  It  proved  to  be  the 
beginning  of  a  sustained  research  in  protein  chemistry 
which  has  developed — in  a  laboratory  of  the  Connec- 
ticut Station — without  interruption  up  to  the  present 
time.  Lately,  through  aid  from  the  Adams  fund,  and 
in  cooperation  with  the  Carnegie  Institution  of  Wash- 
ington and  with  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School  of  Yale 
University,  the  scope  of  this  work  has  been  extended 
to  include  many  important  problems  of  nutrition  and 
growth. 

While  gathering  together,  in  the  autumn  of  1871, 
material  for  his  essay  on  soil  exhaustion  and  rotation 
of  crops.  Professor  Johnson  was  so  impressed  by  the 
unsatisfactory  and  meager  data  available  as  a  basis 
for  the  estimation  of  nutritive  elements  removed  from 
the  soil  by  the  growth  of  tobacco,  that  he  omitted  all 
reference  to  this  crop  of  so  great  importance  to  the 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         207 

farmers  of  the  Connecticut  Valley.  He  then  set  about 
an  investigation  of  New  England  tobacco,  which  is 
recorded  in  his  ** Report  on  Tobacco"  made  in  May 
1873,  to  the  Connecticut  Board  of  Agriculture;  it  com- 
prised analyses  of  the  ash  of  the  tobacco  leaf  of  the 
Connecticut  Valley  and  a  discussion  of  the  require- 
ments of  the  tobacco  crop.  In  1891,  he  directed  the 
energies  of  a  part  of  the  station  force  to  a  continua- 
tion of  this  investigation,  in  the  field  and  in  the  labora- 
tory. The  educational  value  of  his  initial  work  on 
tobacco  is  indicated  by  the  formation,  in  1892,  of  the 
Connecticut  Tobacco  Experiment  Association,  com- 
prised of  tobacco  growers  who  formed  a  joint  stock 
company  * '  for  the  purpose  of  conducting  and  carrying 
on  the  business  of  an  experiment  in  the  culture  and 
cure  of  tobacco  ...  in  connection  \\dth  and  under  the 
supervision  of  the  Connecticut  Agricultural  Experi- 
ment Station."  The  association  at  once  purchased  a 
suitable  plot  of  tobacco  land,  and  erected  a  barn  to  hold 
the  crop,  and  a  scheme  for  five  years '  experimentation 
was  adopted.  Experimentation  on  tobacco  has  ever 
since  been  regularly  carried  on  by  the  Connecticut 
Station  under  the  personal  supervision  of  Dr.  Jenkins, 
who,  first  as  vice-director  and  then  as  director  of  the 
station,  has  guided  the  expansion  of  this  work  until 
it  has  become  as  essential  to  the  tobacco  industry  as 
is  the  station's  fertilizer  work  in  the  operations  of  the 
non-specializing  farmer. 

When  a  good  beginning  had  been  made  and  Profes- 
sor Johnson  felt  reasonably  assured  of  a  future  for 
the  tobacco  experiments,  he  turned  his  attention  to 
the  establishment  of  a  horticultural  department.  This 
problem  was  worked  out  in  his  accustomed   simple 


208      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

method.  He  did  not  wait  for  popular  demand  for  the 
service  he  proposed  to  render,  he  was  not  unduly- 
troubled  as  to  how  or  whence  its  support  should  be 
forthcoming.  He  laid  a  foundation,  concerning  him- 
self chiefly  with  the  all-important  right  beginning,  and 
left  the  outcome  to  the  future,  convinced  that  once 
the  work  had  demonstrated  its  own  value  and  utility, 
support  would  follow  as  a  matter  of  course.  The 
coming — as  horticulturist — of  Dr.  Britton,  the  present 
state  entomologist,  to  the  Connecticut  Station  in  1894, 
marks  the  commencement  of  another  phase  of  its  activ- 
ity. Today,  we  in  Connecticut,  as  in  all  other  states, 
can  freely  obtain  advice  or  help  in  combating  the  ever- 
present  foes  of  our  orchards  and  gardens;  warnings 
are  given  us  of  the  coming  of  destructive  insects, 
methods  for  their  control  or  extermination  are  pub- 
lished broadcast;  preventive  spraying  of  trees  is  the 
rule,  not  the  exception;  and  much  accurate  informa- 
tion upon  local  horticultural  questions  is  gained 
through  scientifi.c  investigation  and  widely  spread  by 
means  of  station  bulletins — and  only  twenty  years 
ago,  all  this  was  not ! 

In  1894,  Professor  Johnson  prepared  a  general  food 
law  which,  excepting  the  law  in  force  in  Massachusetts 
upon  which  it  was  largely  modeled,  was  practically  the 
first  effort  at  food  legislation  in  this  country.  This 
law,  when  presented  to  the  Connecticut  Legislature, 
was  passed  at  once  by  the  House  but  was  almost  unani- 
mously defeated  in  the  conservative  Senate.  When, 
in  1895,  an  attempt  was  made  to  pass  a  special  lard 
law,  on  the  ground  that  it  was  impossible  for  honest 
manufacturers  to  meet  the  competition  of  Chicago 
packers  of  adulterated  lard,  the  Legislature  decided 


STATE  EXPERBIENT  STATION  209 

to  enact  no  more  special  laws,  but  a  general  law  cover- 
ing all  food  products.  The  law  prepared  by  Professor 
Johnson  and  rejected  the  preceding  year  was  accord- 
ingly taken  from  the  archives  and  passed  with  scarcely 
any  opposition.  This  law  remained  in  force  until 
1907,  when  it  was  supplanted  by  the  present  law  based 
on  the  Federal  Act  which,  in  the  opinion  of  those  in 
the  state  best  fitted  to  judge,  has  not  proved  its 
superior  effectiveness. 

Under  the  individualistic  direction  of  Professor 
Johnson,  the  Connecticut  Station  made  most  signifi- 
cant demonstrations  of  possibilities  in  various  lines  of 
research,  some  even  in  fields  where  practical  returns 
appeared  very  remote.  His  later  life  was  as  marked 
by  wise  progressiveness  and  freedom  from  the 
prejudices  acquired  through  habit  as  his  early 
years  had  been  by  the  common-sense  conservatism 
more  usually  associated  with  mature  years  and 
experience.  This  happy  constitution  of  mind  enabled 
him  to  keep  in  sympathetic  touch  with  the  progress 
of  events  around  him  after  ill  health  prevented 
participation  in  them. 

Professor  Johnson's  earliest  expectation  was  first 
to  develop  agricultural  schools  and  colleges  in  this 
country;  at  that  time  his  belief  was  that  experiment 
stations  would  grow  naturally  out  of  them  and,  while, 
perhaps  not  necessarily  an  adjunct,  would  at  least  be 
closely  related  to  some  teaching  foundation.  All  stu- 
dents in  the  agricultural  course  of  the  Connecticut  Col- 
lege of  Agriculture  and  the  Mechanic  Arts  (Sheffield 
Scientific  School)  came  under  his  instruction  and 
observation.    This  institution  fitted  men  to  teach  and 


210      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

advise  the  agriculturist.  These  men  were  qualified 
to  investigate  and  to  administer ;  they  have  held  almost 
without  exception  positions  of  influence,  carrying  on 
and  extending  studies  begun  under  Professor  John- 
son's tuition.  But  the  student  desiring  to  become  a 
trained  agriculturist  was  infrequent.  He  who  wished 
to  equip  himself  for  a  business  career  in  agriculture, 
who  looked  forward  to  attacking  successfully  the  prob- 
lems sure  to  arise  in  a  new  profession,  to  the  creation 
and  development  of  agricultural  resources,  was  a 
rarity. 

Yet  this  professional  agriculturist,  trained  in  sci- 
ence, employed  not  in  teaching  but  in  the  business 
of  agriculture,  was — so  felt  Professor  Johnson — the 
indispensable  instrument  for  the  agricultural  salvation 
of  our  country.  After  years  of  experience  as  a  teacher, 
he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  scientific  education  of 
the  agriculturist  must  begin  elsewhere  than  in  schools 
and  colleges,  that  before  these  could  reach  the  full 
measure  of  their  efficiency,  the  agricultural  stations 
must  break  the  ground.  That  accomplished,  from  a 
constituency  educated  to  use  and  appreciate  the  sta- 
tion would  come  men  fitted  to  study  and  conduct  prac- 
tical scientific  agriculture.  Acting  upon  this  mature 
conviction,  he  used  the  influence  of  his  position  as 
professor  of  agricultural  chemistry  in  the  Sheffield 
Scientific  School  to  further  in  every  possible  way  the 
cause  of  the  agricultural  station,  which  was  finally 
established  in  Connecticut  largely  through  his  efforts 
and  in  response  to  his  oft-repeated  and  urgent 
entreaty — an  entreaty  so  well  expressed  in  his  widely 
circulated  appeal  written  in  1874 : 

To  say  that  the  farmers  of  Connecticut  and  of  our  entire 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         211 

country  urgently  need  the  aid  and  stimulus  of  the  Experiment 
Stations  is  to  make  a  most  evident  assertion.  Our  Agricul- 
tural Colleges  have  but  few  agricultural  students. — The  reason 
lies  mainly  in  the  fact  that  our  intellectual  activity  has  the 
habit  of  running  in  other  than  agricultural  channels.  To 
bring  our  farmers  in  direct  and  profitable  contact  with  the 
results  of  science,  to  bring  science  into  active  and  visible 
cooperation  with  the  toils  and  plans  of  the  farm,  would 
redound  to  the  eminent  advantage  of  both.  The  Experiment 
Station,  I  cannot  doubt,  is  to  be  this  point  of  contact,  the 
focus  of  this  cooperation. 

The  quarter  century,  now  just  completed,  of  our 
national  system  of  agricultural  stations  witnesses  the 
fulfilment  of  Professor  Johnson's  forecast  made 
nearly  forty  years  ago,  and  now  realized  even  beyond 
his  serenely  confident  expectation.  The  proved  use- 
fulness in  Connecticut  of  a  few  fertilizer  analyses 
accurately  made  and  their  results  intelligently  used 
in  1857,  was  largely  instrumental  in  the  establishment 
in  1887  of  an  agricultural  station  in  every  state  and 
territory.  The  educational  stimulus  of  these  sta- 
tions has  reacted  on  the  agricultural  community  and 
informed  the  public  at  large,  so  that  today  there  is 
no  dearth  of  eager  students  in  our  agricultural  col- 
leges. These,  with  high  standards  and  ample  facili- 
ties, are  now  training  every  year  thousands  of  able, 
ambitious  men  to  meet  most  exacting  professional 
requirements,  not  as  teachers  only,  but  largely  as 
workers  in  the  business  world,  producers  of  our  na- 
tional wealth.  Surely  a  wonderful  result  in  so  short  a 
period  is  this  outcome  of  efforts  in  which  Professor 
Johnson  bore  a  sustained  part. 


212      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

When,  in  March  1877,  the  bill  passed  which  estab- 
lished the  Connecticut  Agricultural  Experiment  Sta- 
tion as  a  State  institution,  many  letters  came  from 
friends  who  had  watched  and  sympathized  with  Pro- 
fessor Johnson's  life  work.  On  April  7,  Mr.  Luther 
H.  Tucker  wrote: 

Accept  my  congratulations  on  the  success  of  your  efforts 
thus  far  and  their  prospect  of  usefulness  in  the  future. 

Mr.  Goodale  closed  a  letter  of  this  period  with  the 
words : 

I  was  rejoiced  to  learn  from  the  papers  that  the  Experi- 
ment Station  is  to  go  to  New  Haven  and  be  under  your 
direction.  I  trust  there  is  no  mistake  about  it.  Tardy  justice 
and  right  doing  is  better  than  postponement  forever  or  till  too 
late. 

Professor  Storer  wrote: 

Jamaica  Plain,  Mass.,  19  Apr.  1877. 

My  dear  Johnson : — I  congratulate  you  most  heartily ! 
Occasionally  as  now,  the  Eternal  Fitness  of  Things  is  vindi- 
cated, and  it  is  a  real  pleasure  to  witness  the  event. 

I  have  never  had  the  least  knowledge  of  the  ins  and  outs  of 
your  Conn.  Agric.  politics,  but  have  sworn  some  frequently 
at  what  seemed  to  be  evidences  that  the  Patriarch  of  our  Sci. 
Agric.  might  probably  be  cheated  out  of  his  birthright  and 
workright.  Long  ago  I  made  a  memorandum  of  questions  to 
be  asked  of  you  concerning  your  attitude  and  position  in  re 
Agric.  Station.  .  .  . 

Pray  come  on  when  you  can — (and  tell  me  among  other 
things  why  you  esteem  maize  grain  to  be  ''too  nitrogenous" 
as  you  have  said  in  Amer.  Jr.  Sci.).    Yrs.  sincerely, 

F.  H.  Storer. 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION  213 

Immediately  upon  Professor  Johnson's  appoint- 
ment as  director,  came  a  pleasant  note  from  his  old 
pupil  and  assistant,  Dr.  Jenkins: 

Middletown,  Conn.,  April  12,  1877. 

My  dear  Professor: — I  congratulate  you,  and  the  farmers 
of  the  State  and  myself  too,  that  the  Station  has  passed  into 
your  immediate  control,  where  I  have  felt  that  it  rightfully 
belonged  from  the  first.  I  hope  you  will  find  its  management 
a  pleasure  and  not  too  great  a  burden.  If  the  Board  of  Con- 
trol and  yourself  conclude  to  ask  me  to  assist  in  carrying  out 
the  work  of  the  Station,  please  reckon  on  my  heartiest  interest 
and  cooperation  with  all  your  plans.  .  .  .  Very  sincerely 
yours,  E.  H.  Jenkins. 

The  modest  equipment  of  the  new  institution  and 
the  helpful  attitude  of  its  friends  appear  in  this 
note,  written  October  6,  1877,  by  Professor  Johnson 
to  a  staunch  supporter  of  the  Station,  who  was  also  a 
dealer  in  horticultural  supplies : 

Would  you  kindly  permit  Mr.  Jenkins  to  use  a  straw  or 
stalk  cutter  in  your  store  to  reduce  to  short  bits  some  samples 
of  corn-fodder  sent  me  by  T.  S.  Gold,  Sec'y-B'd  of  Ag.,  for 
analysis?  Having  on  a  former  occasion  been  favored  in  this 
way,  I  am  encouraged  to  ask  again ! 

The  letters  of  Professor  Johnson  which  follow — 
with  the  exception  of  those  written  to  Professor  Storer, 
Dr.  Jenkins,  Dr.  Britton  and  to  the  Commissioner  of 
Agriculture — are  taken  from  copy-books  of  the  Con- 
necticut Station.  They  are  in  Professor  Johnson's 
own  handwriting  and  are  of  interest  either  through 
their  contents  or  because  of  the  time  at  which  tiiey 
were  written.    They  require  little  or  no  comment: 


214      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  J.  O.) 

[October  10,  1877] — I  regret  to  differ  from  yourself  and 
from  Mr,  Lawes  and  Dr.  Liebig  on  so  important  a  subject 
[the  valuation  of  fertilizers].  To  me  the  whole  subject  ap- 
pears to  be  very  simple.  The  valuation  merely  touches  the 
question  of  price  in  market,  as  far  as  that  depends  upon  the 
trade-value  of  ingredients.  If  a  fertilizer  has  or  is  thought 
to  have  a  value  beyond  this,  depending  upon  some  secret  of 
compounding,  or  established  reputation,  there  is  no  objection 
to  those  who  believe  in  such  superiority  paying  for  it,  but  for 
those  who  have  no  faith  in,  or  do  not  care  to  pay  for  such 
advantages,  the  "valuation  business"  is  a  simple  and  safe 
guide  to  purchase  by.  Such  is  the  record  of  twenty  years  in 
this  State.  Honest  dealers  do  not  complain  of  it,  but  support 
it  heartily,  because  it  stops  the  occupation  of  quacks  and 
swindlers  and  establishes  confidence  between  buyer  and  seller. 

"We  use  great  care  in  securing  samples  that  accurately 
represent  the  articles  we  investigate,  and  our  analyses  are 
invariably  duplicated  so  that  mistake  is  made  well-nigh  im- 
possible. On  the  other  hand  our  dealers  and  manufacturers 
(in  the  State)  are  very  careful  to  know  what  they  offer  and 
to  offer  only  that  which  sustains  a  good  reputation.  The 
valuation  business  would  be  of  no  use  here  were  all  the  fertili- 
zers, so-called,  that  come  into  our  market  made  honestly  and 
intelligently.  The  fact  that  parties  destitute  of  one  or  both 
these  standard  virtues  seek  custom  in  this  State  renders  the 
valuation  business  a  necessity,  and  I  believe  that  with  us  it 
is  an  advantage  to  all  concerned.    .    .    .   Yours  most  truly, 

S.  W.  Johnson. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  —  L.) 

[October  10,  1877] — I  am  certain  that  although  the  valua- 
tion system  may  not  always  have  been  justly  applied,  it  always 
may  he,  and  that  consumers  cannot  spare  it. — 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         215 

(A.  S.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

Verehrter  obwohl  noch  ungesehener  Freund !  Am  15  Sept. 
V.  J.  wurde  bei  der  25  jahrigen  Feier  der  I  Deutschen  Ver- 
suchsstation  zu  Moeckem  Wolff  u.  mir  ein  Album  der  inter- 
nationalen  Agriculturchemiker  verehrt,  wofiir  ich  eben  den- 
selben  durch  meine  alte  Visage  meinen  Dank  ausgesproehen 
habe.  Auch  Sie  gehoren  zu  diesen,  daher  werden  Sie  sich 
nicht  weigern,  ihr  Herberge  und  Gastrecht  in  Ihrem  Home 
zu  gewahren;  Dank  Ihren  oft  wiederholten  Reports  iiber 
Ihre  riistige  Thatigkeit  bin  ich  wenigstens  in  Ihrem  scientifical 
und  Berufs-Home  zu  Hause  und  verfolge  das  frische  Leben 
Ihrer  Connecticut  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  rait  leb- 
haftem  und  sympathischem  Interesse.  Moge  Ihnen  noch  lange 
ein  erfolgreiches  Wirken  auf  diesem  Felde  beschieden  sein! 
Das  meinige  naht  sich  dem  Feierabende. 

Mit  aufrichtiger  collegialischer  Freundschaft 

der  Ihrige 

A.  Stoeckhardt. 
Tharandt,  28.  3.  78 

(F.  H.  S.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

26  Apr.  1878. 

Dear  Johnson, — I  schame  raich  not  a  little  that  I  haven't 
written  long  ago  to  commend  your  report  and  to  acknowl- 
edge your  note.  ...  I  noted  (even  before  you  wrote)  what 
you  say  of  Miller's  cows  vs.  meal.  'Tis  just  what  I  would 
have  said  myself.  I  don't  believe  the  beggar — any  more  than 
that  there  is  some  fire  under  the  smoke — but  he  clearly  has 
the  "right  of  way,"  and  we  are  bound  to  test  his  notion  by 
fair  and  well  intentioned  exp. 

I  congratulate  you  on  the  team  you  have  to  drive  in  that 
Exp.  Station.  There  are  many  things  in  the  hierarchical 
arrangement  and  the  disbursing  of  salaries  in  your  plan  that 
I  can't  get  along  with,  for  they  seem  to  me  inconsistent  with 


216      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

the  eternal  fitness  of  things ;  but  that  you  have  a  well  manned 
ship  under  your  feet  is  patent  to  all  men, 
Mrs.  Storer  sends  her  best  wishes,  and  I  am 

yrs  ever 

F.  H.  Storer. 

(S.  W.J.  TO  J.  B.  0.) 

[In  regard  to  strawberry  rust.]  August  21,  1878 — Brewer 
agrees  with  me  in  the  opinion  that  it  is  probably  a  fungus 
which  attacks  them,  and  if  so,  we  are  not  competent  to  study 
it.  Prof.  W.  G.  Farlow  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  is  the  single 
person  in  the  U.  S.  who  is  fully  adequate  to  the  investigation. 
I  shall  write  to  him  by  this  mail  to  learn  what  he  knows  about 
it  and  what  he  can  do  about  it. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  W.  G.  F.) 

Nov.  27th,  1878. 

My  dear  Sir; — ^Yours  of  25th  is  rec'd.  Accept  my  thanks 
in  behalf  of  our  Agriculture  for  your  kind  service.  ...  I  find 
the  fungus,  now,  described  and  figured  in  Sorauer's  Hand- 
buch  der  Pflanzen  Krankheiten,  but  failed  to  find  it  there 
when  Olcott  first  brought  it  to  my  notice,  because  the  index 
does  not  contain  the   word   Erdheere.      Very   truly  yours, 

S.  W.  Johnson. 

(S.W.J.  TO  P.M.  A.) 

Feb'y  28th,  1879. 

Dear  Sir : — The  cranberries  are  rec  'd  as  well  as  your  postal. 
I  regret  that  I  can  see  no  way  in  which  a  chemical  exami- 
nation would  be  of  service.  The  scald  or  blight  is  most  prob- 
ably a  fungus,  and  the  careful  microscopic  study  of  the  fungus 
and  cranberry  at  the  bogs  in  summer  by  a  skilled  specialist 
is  doubtless  the  way  to  follow  in  order  to  know  and  possibly 
circumvent  the  rot.  Undoubtedly  chemical  analysis  of  the  two 
lots  sent  would  show  differences.     So  would  two  samples  of 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         217 

either  lot,  if  the  large  and  small  berries  were  examined  sepa- 
rately. Therefore  the  differences  that  would  appear  would  not 
of  necessity  stand  connected  with  the  rot,  or  at  least  would 
throw  no  light  on  the  cause  of  the  difficulty  or  its  remedy.  In 
no  ease  to  my  knowledge  has  any  plant-disease  of  the  nature 
of  a  rot  been  found  to  be  caused  by  a  deficiency  of  some  one 
or  more  elements  in  the  soil  or  plant. 

I  will  write  to  Dr.  Farlow, — our  best  fungologist  and  per- 
haps almost  the  only  American  who  has  thoroughly  studied 
microscopic  fungi — to  learn  if  he  knows  anything  about  the 
matter.    Yours  very  truly,  S.  W.  Johnson. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  W.  E.  P.) 

July  7,  1879. 

My  dear  Sir: — I  have  carefully  read  and  considered  the 
draft  of  a  bill  you  sent  me.  From  all  I  have  been  able  to 
learn  of  the  methods  of  fertilizer  control  adopted  in  Europe 
and  this  country,  1  am  convinced  that  the  system  of  Inspec- 
tion is  the  one  least  advantageous  to  the  honest  farmers  and 
dealers  and  most  advantageous  to  the  dishonest  dealer  and  the 
stealing  politicians. 

I  believe  the  Experiment  Station  system  as  we  have  it  in 
Connecticut,  if  actively  supported  by  the  farmers,  is  the  best 
in  immediate  results  and  is  a  system  whose  incidental  benefits 
are  of  incalculable  advantage. 

I  recommend  you  to  stand  by  the  Experiment  Station  and 
help  it  to  become  what  it  ought  to  be.  I  fear  your  scheme  of 
replacing  the  Expt.  Station  by  Inspection  will  work  harm 
to  the  agriculture  of  your  State.  .  .  . 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  G.  T.) 

December  4,  1879. 

.    .    .    The  Connecticut  System  does  not  ensure  that  no 

spurious  or  fraudulent  fertilizers  are  sold  or  bought  in  the 

State,  but  it  gives  the  farmers  the  means  of  ascertaining  the 

composition  and  value  of  all  fertilizers,  feeding  stuffs,  etc., 


218      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

that  are  offered  to  them,  without  cost  beyond  the  expense  of 
taking  and  sending  a  sample.  The  frequent  bulletins  give 
wide  publicity  to  the  results  of  analyses,  and  the  result  is  that 
fertilizers  that  are  not  commercially  worth  what  they  cost, 
or  nearly  so,  are  either  entirely  out  of  the  Conn,  market,  or 
if  they  appear  remain  but  a  short  time. 

The  State  Law  respecting  fertilizers  has,  so  far  as  I  can 
learn,  no  effect  beyond  securing  a  label  and  "analysis"  of 
some  sort  attached  to  each  package  of  fertilizer.  The  law 
is  not  precise  enough  in  its  terms  to  be  of  any  use  otherwise, 
and  no  prosecutions  or  complaints  have  ever  been  made  under 
it. 

The  Exp.  Station,  therefore,  with  the  cooperation  of  a 
number  of  active  farmers  and  Farmers'  clubs,  accomplishes 
whatever  results  we  have,  independently  of  any  special  legis- 
lation or  inspection.  Manufacturers  in  the  State  and  many 
without  who  sell  their  wares  here,  so  far  as  I  know,  are  pleased 
with  the  operations  of  the  Station;  for,  as  they  say,  it  prac- 
tically excludes  inferior  goods  from  our  markets,  and  secures 
an  impartial  verdict  on  the  merits  of  each  article  sold.  The 
Station  makes  no  prosecution  of  the  dealers  in  poor  fertilizers, 
it  simply  publishes  the  character  of  their  goods,  and  public 
opinion  inflicts  due  punishment. 

The  cost  of  the  Station  as  now  carried  on  is  $5000  yearly. 
The  rooms  occupied  by  it  are  furnished  rent-free  by  the  S.  S. 
School.  The  Station  is  simply  a  chemical  laboratory  and  cor- 
respondence office.  It  now  employs  three  chemists  and  a 
Director,  has  no  grounds  and  no  facilities  for  any  but  labora- 
tory experiments.  .  .  .  Yours  very  truly,        S.  W.  Johnson. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  F.  H.  S.) 

New  Haven,  Ct.,  Dec.  15th,  1879. 

My  dear  Storer, —  ...  I  am  most  profoundly  sorry  at  the 
state  of  Bussey  in  general  and  ...  in  particular.  As  to 
the  questions — I  only  know  what  I  got  or  rather  I  know 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         219 

nothing  beyond  that.  I  can't  certainly  say  whether  it  was 
$35.  per  column  that  I  first  worked  for,  for  the  Tribune,  or 
not,  but  I  think  it  was  that.  I  struck  for  $50.  per  column,  had 
it  for  6  mos,  then  declined  to  go  on.  That  was  large  pay  I 
suppose,  for  the  paper,  but  my  literary  spigot  has  such  a 
stricture  that  I  couldn't  dribble  anyway  for  the  press,  in 
addition  to  my  other  work.  I  have  no  idea  what  C.  gets. 
I  don 't  know  who  shines  in  the  N.  Y.  Sun.  I  now  don 't  read 
or  see  the  ag.  columns  of  any  of  the  N.  Y.  or  other  daily 
papers.    I  haven't  strength  or  time. 

The  Co.  Gent.,  Albany,  pays  me  $5.00  per  column  and  I 
have  a  sort  of  feeling  that  its  column  is  not  so  consumptive, 
relatively,  of  MSS.  as  the  Tribune  e.  g.,  but  I  don't  now  recall 
the  result  of  any  close  comparison.  I  think  that  per  column 
is  the  usual  mode  of  reckoning,  and  by  that  they  mean  as  solid 
matter  as  they  can  get,  generally. 

I  shall  at  once  see  if  I  can't  suggest  to  some  good  parties 
that  they  may  get  you  to  write  for  their  papers,  etc.  Yours 
most  faithfully,  S.  W.  Johnson. 

This  letter  of  Professor  Storer  is  an  instance  of 
early  use  of  the  typewriter. 

Jamaica  Plain,  April  3,  1880. 

My  dear  Johnson: — Behold  how  the  virtuous  man  consid- 
ereth  the  eyes  of  his  friend  and  spelleth  out  his  little  sermon ! 
To  wit : — I  have  had  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  in  reading  your 
report,  and  I  wish  to  bear  the  fact  in  upon  you,  and  upon 
Drs.  Jenkins  and  Armsby  also.  I  wish  you  would  make  my 
compliments  to  both  these  gentlemen.  Jenkins'  list  of  fodder 
analyses  and  Armsby 's  article  on  amids  are  not  only  excellent 
in  themselves,  but  they  are  timely.  It  isn't  often  that  fate 
permits  us  to  be  thus  instant  in  season. 

Your  question  of  American  hay  vs.  European  becomes  inter- 
esting, does  it  not?  I  fancy  we  must  look  to  Botany  for  its 
solution.    You  remember,  I  suppose,  that  some  twenty  years 


220      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

ago,  at  a  time  of  drought  in  England,  one  of  the  Steamship 
Cos.  took  American  hay  to  fill  up  their  ships,  on  their  own 
speculation,  and  could  only  dispose  of  it  at  a  heavy  loss  in 
London  and  Liverpool.  The  talk  was  then  that  our  hay  was 
too  coarse  to  suit  the  English  eye,  but  it  looks  now  as  if  J.  B.  's 
"prejudice"  was  not  so  dunderheaded  as  it  then  seemed.  I 
have  always  wondered  at  the  difference  between  the  require- 
ments of  our  hay  markets  and  those  of  England.  It  is  not  so 
strange,  perhaps,  that  coarse  hay  commands  a  higher  price 
than  fine  here,  so  long  as  danthonia  is  abundant,  but  it  is 
curious  that  we  despise  really  good  fine  hay  when  the  English 
will  buy  no  other.  Ten  years  ago  I  tried  to  get  one  of  our 
agricultural  societies  to  import  merchantable  samples  of  Eng- 
lish hay  to  be  exhibited  at  our  cattle  fairs,  but  nothing  ever 
came  of  the  idea. 

By  the  way, — I  speak  with  reservation  since  I  have  never 

seen  the  man, — but  it  did  seem  to  me  that  you  handle 

too  gently;  or  rather  that  you  pat  him  much  too  gently  on 
the  back.  Thought  needs  to  be  given  to  the  devising  of  meth- 
ods of  allaying  the  bumptiousness  of  some  of  our  practical 
men — and  I  am  clear  that  praise  (no  matter  how  damnably 
"faint"  it  may  be)  is  not  a  means  to  this  end.  It  needs  to 
be  shown  that  for  successful  research  something  more  than 
good  intentions  is  necessary;  viz,  technical  training,  modesty 
of  thought,  and  an  open  mind. 

I  am  glad  you  hold  your  "luff"  in  respect  to  the  conven- 
tional method  of  stating  analyses  of  fodder.  There  is  no  sense 
in  trying  to  refine  this  thing  beyond  the  possibly  practical. 
We  are  hardly  more  ripe  than  Einhof  and  Sprengel  were  for 
the  complete  analysis  of  rough  fodders,  and  there  is  a  sem- 
blance of (let  us  say  ignorance)   in  holding  up  the 

names  of  too  many  chemicals  to  the  gaze  of  the  great  and 
unsoaked  public.  It  is  bad  enough  to  have  to  report  the  ' '  fat ' ' 
of  hay  as  if  it  were  really  oil. 

I  am  glad,  too,  to  see  you  hold  off  from  Kiihn  's  reactionary 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         221 

movement  in  the  last  Landwirth  Kalender.  There  is  some- 
thing too  absurd  in  his  effort  to  stampede  us,  at  this  day  and 
hour,  into  taking  the  back  track.  What  we  really  need  is  a 
critical  sifting  of  all  the  analyses  with  the  view  of  discover- 
ing the  best  possible  means,  in  the  light  of  existing  knowl- 
edge. The  question  is  one  of  chemistry  far  more  than  of 
arithmetic.  There  are  manifold  instances  of  "maxima"  and 
"minima"  which  could  be  thrown  out  at  once,  for  cause.  I 
see,  for  example,  that  Jenkins  has  roped  in  a  Bussey  analysis 
of  dead  fresh- meadow  grass,  in  getting  his  average  for  swale 
hay.  I  wouldn't  have  done  it.  Nor  would  I  have  said  {i.e. 
note  on  page  150)  that  swale  hay  contains  14.3  per  cent  of 
water.  It  might  be  even  questioned  whether  my  hand  samples 
of  Carex  belong  in  this  particular  "addition,"  though  they 
do  show  the  composition  of  early  cut  hay  and  point  to  what 
is  possible  in  practice. 

On  page  96,  the  line  relating  to  "oxen  at  rest,"  dele  the  last 
dot,  period,  decimal  point,  or  whatever  you  call  it.  It  darkens 
counsel.  The  other  misprint  there  concealed  this  one,  accord- 
ing to  "the  simultaneous  contrast  of  colors"? 

I  don't  remember  having  expressed  my  gratitude  for  your 
kind  offices  in  recommending  me  to  Mr.  Carman.  If  I  didn't 
(or  if  I  did)  let  me  do  so  now.  I  find  him  extremely  civil 
and  disposed  to  squareness.    Yours  faithfully,  F.  H.  Storer. 

(S.  W.  J.  ToJ.  TH.) 

May  27th,  1880. 
Dear  Sir, — Your  proposal  for  a  convention  of  agricultural 
chemists  to  agree  upon  methods  of  fertilizer  analysis  for 
common  use,  is  in  my  opinion  a  very  timely  suggestion  and 
I  am  entirely  in  favor  of  it.  As  to  time  and  place  of  meeting, 
would  it  not  be  well  to  make  them  co-incident  with  some 
gathering  at  which  many  of  those  interested  would  be  likely 
to  be  present, — say  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Am.  Association 
for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  held  at  Boston  or  Cambridge 
in  August? 


222      LETTEE-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

I  would  like  to  add  to  the  list  you  give :  Prof.  F.  H.  Storer, 
Bussey  Institution,  Jamaica  Plain,  Mass. ;  Dr.  Ledoux,  New 
York  City;  Dr.  E.  H.  Jenkins,  New  Haven,  Conn.;  Dr.  H.  P. 
Armsby,  New  Haven,  Conn. ;  Mr.  A.  T,  Neale,  chemist  to  the 
New  Jersey  Ag.  Exp,  Station — all  experienced  fertilizer  ana- 
lysts. The  discussion  of  the  subject  would  be  more  satis- 
factory if  there  were  time  beforehand  for  some  experimental 
work.  I  have  some  investigations  in  progress  which  can 
hardly  be  complete  early  in  July,  but  might  be  late  in  August. 
...  I  would  add  the  names  of  Prof.  G.  C.  Caldwell,  Cornell 
University,  Ithaca,  New  York ;  Prof.  Albert  Chester,  Hamilton 
College,  Clinton,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y. ;  Prof.  A.  Aubert,  Maine 
Ag.  College,  Orono,  Me.    Very  truly  yours,  S.  W.  Johnson. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  Professor  G.  C.  Caldwell,  Director  of 
Cornell  Experiment  Station.) 

Sep.  10th,  1880. 

My  dear  Caldwell, — Dr.  Charles  U.  Shepard,  Jr.,  suggests 
that  a  meeting  of  the  members  of  the  committee  appointed  at 
Boston,  viz.,  yourself,  himself,  Collier  and  Atwater  be  held 
for  between  Sep.  15  and  30th.  This  would  be  very  profitable 
no  doubt,  and  I  write  to  ask  you  if  you  could  come  to  New 
Haven  (where  I  will  bed  and  board  you)  and  at  what  time. 
If  you  cannot  come,  that  fact  will  decide  me  what  next  best 
thing  to  do.  I  should  like  the  meeting  held  nearer  the  15th 
than  the  30th,  Dr.  Shepard  has  to  go  to  So,  Car.  soon  after 
the  30th. 

But  if  you  can  come  any  time  between  these  dates,  let  me 
know.    Yours  most  truly,  S.  W.  Johnson. 

(S.  W,  J,  TO  Professor  George  H,  Cook,  Director  of 

New  Jersey  Experiment  Station,) 

December  27th,  1880, 

My  dear  Sir, — It  has  been  repeatedly  on  my  mind  that  some 
conference  in  respect  to  trade-values  of  fertilizers  is  desir- 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         223 

able.  I  have,  however,  not  found  the  occasion  and  having 
always  to  work  in  haste,  have  come  this  year  to  write  and 
print  my  revision  of  trade-values  without  conference  with 
others.  I  enclose  you  printer's  proof  of  my  conclusions  from 
experience  of  1880.  .  .  .  Please  communicate  your  ideas  as 
to  my  conclusions.  Doubtless  with  more  data  I  should  be  led 
to  different  results,  although  I  believe  that  my  conclusions 
are  substantially  correct  and  will  be  justified  by  the  future 
as  they  have  been  by  the  past  year 's  facts !    Yours  very  truly, 

S.  W.  Johnson. 
I  had  nearly  forgotten  to  recur  to  the  subject  of  a  meeting 
or  of  correspondence  with  Dr.  Goessmann  and  some  one  in 
Pa. — For  me  it  is,  I  fear,  too  late  this  year,  as  I  must  give  the 
printer  my  final  revise  in  a  very  few  days. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  C.  L.  D.) 

Feb.  21,  1881. 

Dear  Sir, — I  first  learned,  incidentally,  on  Saturday  last 
that  the  bill  to  which  you  refer  was  before  the  Legislature. 
My  first  impressions  are  unfavorable  to  that  sort  of  Legisla- 
tion; if,  however,  adjacent  States  toll  Conn,  manufacturers, 
it  is  in  the  nature  of  self-defence  to  reciprocate.  I  would  be 
glad  of  increase  of  Exp.  Station  Funds  by  any  legitimate 
method  that  meets  the  approbation  of  farmers  and  dealers  in 
the  State.  The  proposed  tax  has  this  equitable  feature  that 
it  makes,  or  tends  to  make,  those  who  use  fertilizers  pay  for 
the  cost  of  having  them  suitably  analyzed  and  thus  kept  rea- 
sonable in  price  and  of  genuine  and  known  quality.  I  will  be 
glad  to  appear  before  the  committee.    Yours,  etc. 

S.  W.  Johnson. 

In  a  letter  of  May  5,  1881,  Professor  Johnson,  again 
referring  to  this  fertilizer  law,  said: 

Its  adoption  in  this  State  was  the  result  of  a  move  on  the 
part  of  some  of  our  fertilizer  manufacturers,  and  was  strongly 
supported  by  some  of  the  leading  firms  engaged  in  this  State 


224      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

in  making  and  selling  this  class  of  goods.  The  object  of  the 
law  is  to  prevent  the  sale  in  the  State  of  fraudulent  or  adul- 
terated fertilizers,  by  requiring  all  who  make  or  import  (from 
foreign  countries)  to  put  themselves,  their  agents  and  their 
wares  on  record.  Farmers  in  and  out  of  the  Legislature 
favored  the  Act  because  its  result  has  been  elsewhere,  and 
must  be  here,  to  diminish  the  chances  of  their  wasting  their 
money  on  inferior  or  worthless  fertilizers.  Manufacturers 
and  dealers  favored  it  because  the  exclusion  of  worthless  or 
adulterated  goods  settles  the  market,  establishes  the  confi- 
dence of  purchasers  and  thus  benefits  business. 

(S.W.  J.  ToN.M.  C.) 

Dec.  6,  1881. 

Dear  Sir, — It  is  a  difficult  question  you  have  put  me — 
very  much  like  asking  the  cost  of  going  to  housekeeping !  The 
list  of  apparatus  and  its  cost — the  kind  and  scale  of  labora- 
tory fixtures  and  arrangements — will  depend  entirely  on  the 
lines  of  research  that  it  is  proposed  to  undertake  and  on  the 
working  force  it  is  intended  to  employ.  The  chemist  who  is 
to  direct  the  work  alone  can  foresee  what  will  be  wanted  after 
he  has  carefully  considered  what  branches  of  investigation 
shall  be  attempted. 

The  total  outfit  of  the  laboratory  of  this  Station  could  prob- 
ably be  replaced  for  $2000.  But  if  our  means  warranted 
undertaking  research  in  any  generous  sense  $2000  could  profit- 
ably be  spent  in  the  arrangements  for  studying  each  of  many 
simple  problems  that  are  awaiting  solution.    Yours  very  truly, 

S.  W.  Johnson. 

(S.  "W.  J.  TO  Dr.  C.  a.  Goessmann,  Professor  op  Chemistry 
IN  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College,  and  Director 
OF  Massachusetts  Experiment  Station.) 

Jan.  6th,  1882. 
My  dear  Sir, — Dr.  Cook  and  I  would  like  to  agree  with  you 
on  a  scale  of  prices  to  use  in  valuing  commercial  fertilizers 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         225 

for  the  current  year  and  future  years.  Boston,  New  York 
and  Philadelphia  cannot  differ  much,  and  Mass.,  Conn,  and 
N.  J.  would  probably  be  equally  well  served  by  a  uniform 
scale.  What  do  you  say  to  it?  And  when  could  we  have  a 
meeting  or  exchange  proposals  so  as  to  meet  the  spring  trade  ? 

(E.  W.  HiLGARD,  Professor  of  Agric.  Chemistry  in  the 

University  of  California,  and  Director  of  the 

Experiment  Station  at  Berkeley,  to  S.  W.  J.) 

Berkeley,  March  10,  1882. 

My  dear  Sir, — I  have  rec'd,  and  read  with  intense  relish, 
your  Experiment  Station  Report  for  1881.  You  have  done  a 
wonderful  amount  of  work  with  your  $5000;  but  it  makes 
one  almost  have  the  mad-itch  to  think  of  this  pittance  allot- 
ted to  such  work  as  this,  when  millions  are  wasted,  and 
worse  than  wasted,  in  merely  bolstering  up  old  and  new  politi- 
cal hacks,  every  year.  I  am  beginning  to  feel  aggressive  on 
the  subject,  and  have  put  some  of  that  feeling  into  an  article 
that  will  shortly  appear  in  the  Atlantic.  If  something 
of  a  breeze  can  be  raised  on  that  basis,  by  a  concerted  move- 
ment on  the  part  of  the  Agr.  College  and  Exp't  Station  men 
and  their  appreciators,  we  all  may  be  enabled  to  work  to  some 
advantage,  instead  of  gnawing  our  lips  in  disgust. 

I  have  been  forcibly  struck  with  the  contrast  between  the 
line  of  work  that  is  asked  of  you  and  that  which  comes  to 
me — it  is  exceedingly  characteristic  of  the  respective  stages 
of  agr.  development  in  the  two  regions,  and  curiously  illus- 
trative of  the  wisdom  of  our  worthy  commissioner  at  Wash- 
ington, when  he  proposes  to  send  some  one  to  Europe  to  find 
out  what  lines  of  ex.  work  ought  to  be  done  in  experiment 
stations!     Quousque  tandem — ? 

I  hope  Sturtevant  will  make  good  use  of  his  opportunities — 
if  he  does  what  I  expect  of  him,  it  will  give  a  great  lift  to  all 
of  us  who  are  struggling  to  be  enabled  to  do  something! 


226      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

When  are  you  going  to  write  that  Vol.  Ill — "How  Crops 
should  be  fed."  The  subject  of  manures  is  among  the  most 
misty  in  the  farmers'  minds,  and  I  wish  you  would  save  me 
the  trouble  of  writing  it  up  myself !    Yours  sincerely, 

E.  W.  Hilgard. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  Sec.  N.  Y.  State  Ag.  Soc.) 

Feb.  14,  1883. 

My  dear  Sir: — The  N.  J.  Station  and  the  State  Inspector 
of  Fertilizers  of  Mass.  joined  with  this  Station  last  year  in 
adopting  a  scale  of  prices.  Our  meeting  was  held  in  Jan.  and 
we  could  not  of  course  predict  the  very  considerable  fall  in 
price  of  nitrogen  that  was  to  occur,  but,  as  stated  on  p.  23  of 
report  for  1882,  we  keep  the  values  fixed  throughout  the  year 
for  the  sake  of  comparing  the  different  fertilizers.  The  aver- 
age retail  prices  during  the  year  for  nitrogen  were — in  nitrates 
3  cts,  for  organic  nitrogen  2  cts,  and  for  sol.  phos.  acid  1  et, 
per  lb.  less  than  our  estimated  prices.  Most  of  the  material 
bought  by  farmers  in  the  spring  of  1882  was  already  manu- 
factured or  the  stock  thereof  laid  in  during  the  fall  or  winter 
before,  and  the  decline  was  slow  in  affecting  the  retail  market. 

There  will  always  be  plenty  of  small  reasons  against  fixing 
an  estimated  price  upon  fertilizers,  but  there  will  always  [he] 
a  preponderance  of  large  reasons  why  it  should  be  done  in 
the  interests  of  consumers.     Yours  very  truly, 

S.  W.  Johnson. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  G.  H.  C.) 

Feb.  16,  1883. 

My  dear  Sir, — Yours  in  relation  to  meeting  to  decide  upon 
fertilizer  prices  is  at  hand.  It  was  in  my  mind  to  confer  with 
you  on  the  matter  about  these  days.  I  have  been  rather 
desirous  to  place  the  time  as  late  as  will  do  for  two  reasons: 
1,  that  we  may  get  as  near  the  state  of  the  spring  markets 
as  possible  so  as  not  to  find  our  reckoning  ' '  left "  by  a  change 
in  the  markets.     2,  in  order  to  have  the  Station  as  far  ad- 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         227 

vanced  as  may  be  in  its  laboratory  arrangements  at  the  time 
of  meeting,  as  I  propose  to  entertain  the  delegations. 

We  have  named  March  1st  as  the  date  for  opening  our  new 
Laboratory,  and  we  shall  begin  to  open  on  or  before  that  day 
although  some  of  our  arrangements  will  not  then  be  com- 
plete. If  early  enough,  I  should  prefer  to  put  the  meeting 
on  March  4th,  as  Saturday  will,  I  suppose,  suit  Dr.  Goess- 
mann.  Your  season  opens  earlier  than  ours,  and  I  prefer 
you  would  name  the  day,  whether  in  Feb'y  or  later,  as  ap- 
pears best  to  you.    Yours  very  truly,  S.  W.  Johnson. 

I  am  in  favor  of  inviting  Dr.  Ford  of  Ohio,  Sec  'y  Chamber- 
lain's  chemist. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  H.  S.) 

Mar.  23,  1883. 

My  dear  Sir, — I  rec'd  your  letter  of  the  20th  and  was 
summoned  to  Hartford  the  21st  to  talk  with  the  Ag.  Com- 
mittee. I  was  obliged  to  say  there  that  I  saw  no  simple  and 
safe  way  to  carry  out  a  stamp  or  tag  law.  I  would  gladly 
favor  an  efficient  law  on  that  system,  but  don't  feel  that  I 
can  develop  or  frame  one  in  detail. 

The  Committee  was  not  in  full  force  and  I  cannot  say  what 
their  conclusions  were,  but  I  judged  they  favored  no  change 
for  1883.  If  you  can  specify  the  details  of  a  law,  they  and  I 
would  be  glad  to  have  you  do  so.    Yours  very  truly, 

S.  W.  Johnson. 

(S.W.J.TOJ.W.  A.) 

March  24,  1883. 

My  dear  Sir, — I  enclose  Mr.  Sedgewick's  letter  which  you 
sent  to  me.  I  have  written  him  that  I  am  unable  to  shape 
a  law,  based  on  ton  tax,  that  shall  be  simple  and  efficient,  but 
shall  be  glad  to  favor  one  if  it  can  be  suggested.  It  appears 
to  me  that  in  any  case  the  present  law  ought  to  be  left  un- 


228      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

touched  for  a  year.    I  believe  that  opposition  to  it  will  cease. 

I  omitted  to  say  to  you,  as  I  intended,  that  we  interpret 

the  present  law  in  the  under- 


*'more  than  ten  dollars  per 
ton,  shall  pay,  etc.  etc.  an 
analysis  fee  of  ten  dollars 
for  each  of  the  fertilizing 
ingredients  contained  or 
claimed"  etc. 


scored  passage  in  the  most 
liberal  manner  possible,  viz., 
ten  dollars  each  for  nitrogen, 
phos.  acid  and  potash  irre- 
spective of  the  state  or  con- 
dition in  which  they  may  be 
present.  This  makes  $30  the 
highest  charge  possible.  That  ought  to  satisfy  the  "special 
fertilizer"  people.    Yours  very  truly,  S.W.Johnson. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  C.  W.  Dabney,  Jr.,  Directob  North  Carolina 
Experiment  Station.) 

October  6,  1883. 

My  dear  Sir, — I  cannot  see  why  the  time  is  not  at  hand 
when  a  journal  such  as  you  propose  may  not  be  undertaken 
with  reasonable  prospects  of  success.  Your  outline  of  its 
scope,  etc.,  is  to  my  mind.  I  think  it,  however,  of  the  in- 
tensest  importance  that  it  have  an  Editor,  that  some  one  who 
has  both  science  and  common  sense  shall  be  responsible  for 
the  matter  and  the  manner  of  its  contents.  Otherwise,  it  will 
be  likely  to  be  given  over  to  slop  and  padding,  the  two  promi- 
nent ingredients  in  American  literature.  The  several  depart- 
ments might  be  separately  edited,  but  it  ought  to  be  an 
organism  and  not  a  pudding.  In  our  stage  of  Ag.  Expt. 
there  is  need  of  a  moderately  large  amount  of  judicious 
criticism,  and  for  that  an  Editor  or  Editors  are  needed. 

Vast  good  would  be  accomplished  by  abundant  abstracts 
of  valuable  papers  published  abroad,  and  I  for  one  should  not 
hesitate  to  "direct"  the  force  under  my  charge  to  assist  in 
work  of  that  sort,  feeling  that  such  use  of  State  funds  would 
be  for  the  highest  possible  good.    Yours,  etc., 

S.  W.  Johnson. 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         229 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  J.  W.  A.) 

Nov.  17,  1883. 

My  dear  Sir, — I  have  been  hoping  to  hear  from  Mr.  Sedge- 
wick  before  writing  to  you.  I  have  also  been  exceedingly  busy 
getting  our  new  laboratory  ready  for  the  fertilizer  work  that 
is  coming  in,  and  have  had  little  opportunity  to  think  about 
the  fertilizer  Law. 

The  tag  or  stamp  system  I  see  no  way  of  carrying  out  except 
by  appointing  Inspectors  and  making  a  cumbersome  and 
costly  machinery.  I  hear  it  intimated  from  creditable  sources 
that  in  Georgia  the  Inspection  is  suspected  of  not  being 
altogether  above  bribery,  but  I  know  nothing  as  to  the  facts. 
The  more  complicated  any  system  is  made  the  more  chances 
perhaps  of  its  being  dishonestly  administered.  The  Pennsyl- 
vania system,  viz. — taxing  per  ton  sold,  is  simple,  but  the  only 
evidence  of  sales  is  the  sworn  statement  of  the  manufac- 
turer or  dealer.  That,  it  strikes  me,  is  offering  a  premium  to 
dishonesty,  and  I  should  expect  that  dishonesty  would  get 
the  premium ! 

Sec'y  Chamberlain  of  Ohio  writes  me  that  the  plan  there 
in  use  works  well  and  satisfies  everybody.  In  Ohio  the  annual 
tax  is  $20,  here  it  is  $10,  $20,  or  $30  according  to  whether  one, 
two  or  three  ingredients  (nitrogen,  phos.  acid  and  potash) 
are  present  in  the  goods. 

Our  present  law  is  disliked  by  two  classes,  viz.,  the  small 
manufacturer  and  the  maker  of  a  large  number  of  special 
brands.  As  to  the  latter,  I  have  heard  it  asserted  by  those 
who  claim  to  have  been  in  the  business,  that  orders  for  many 
different  "specials"  are  filled  from  the  same  heap,  care  being 
taken  that  the  Exp.  Station  shall  be  provided  with  carefully 
compounded  samples.  This  may  be  a  libel,  but  it  also  may  be 
true!  Our  present  law  tends  to  check  the  multiplication  of 
brands  or  pretended  brands,  to  reduce  the  work  to  be  done 
by  the  Station,  and  to  suppress  the  nonsense  employed  to 
humbug  farmers. 


230      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

How  to  relieve  small  dealers? — It  might  be  enacted  that 
Grinders  of  Bones  in  Connecticut,  instead  of  paying  $20 
analysis  fee,  should  at  option  pay  50  cts.  per  ton  for  product 
sold,  provided  they  could  satisfy  the  Board  of  Control  (or 
Executive  Committee)  of  the  Station  as  to  the  amount  of 
their  sales.  But  making  exceptions  is  troublesome  business. 
I  should  not  favor  any  exceptions  but  for  grinding  Bone. 
Making  superphosphate  on  a  small  scale  cannot  be  done  so 
cheaply,  nor  so  well  as  on  a  large, — and  after  all  the  many 
farmers  and  not  the  few  small  manufacturers  are  principally 
to  be  considered. 

The  present  law  is  very  highly  spoken  of  by  all  with  whom 
I  have  conversed  whose  interests  are  those  of  consumers  of 
fertilizers.  I  will  send  or  bring  you  very  soon  suggestions 
for  amending  the  present  law.    Yours  very  truly, 

S.  W.  Johnson. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  J.  J.  W.) 

May  8th,  1884. 

My  dear  Sir, — Prof.  Brewer  and  Dr.  Jenkins  think  I  ought 
to  go  next  week  to  Atlanta,  Ga.,  to  attend  a  convention  called 
by  the  Commissioner  of  Agriculture  of  Georgia  to  discuss 
methods  of  determining  ' '  Reverted  Phosphoric  Acid. ' '  There 
is  a  very  unhappy  muddle  in  this  matter  already  and,  with 
your  approval,  I  will  prepare  to  go  and  see  what  can  be  done 
to  prevent  things  from  getting  still  more  mixed.    Yours, 

S.  W.  Johnson. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  R.  B.  W.) 

June  3d,  1884. 

Dear  Sir, — In  answer  to  yours  of  May  26th  duly  received, 
would  say  that  when  the  minutes  of  convention  at  Atlanta  are 
printed,  the  committee  will  elaborate  plan  of  investigation  and 
notify  the  gentlemen  willing  to  participate,  yourself  among 
the  rest. 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         231 

As  to  soil  analyses,  I  am  so  blind  as  not  to  be  able  to  see 
much  benefit  in  them  as  usually  made.  If  you  can  find  a 
half  dozen  soils,  more  or  less,  which  evidence  a  graded  pro- 
ductiveness, and  can  show  any  positive  relations  between  com- 
position and  fertility,  that  would  [be]  a  valuable  result.  My 
friend  Dr.  E.  W.  Hilgard's  methods  (Ist  Census  Report  on 
Cotton  Production  of  U.  S.)  appear  to  be  most  promising. 
Dr.  G.  E.  Moore's  plan  of  mechanical  analysis  (see  10th  Cen- 
sus Report  on  Tobacco  culture)  is  worthy  of  investigation. 
I  have  long  desired  to  do  something  in  soil  analysis  but  have 
not  yet  been  able  to  undertake  any  systematic  and  extended 
work.  What  to  do  and  where  to  stop  in  soil  analysis  are  very 
perplexing  questions.    Yours  very  truly,      S.  W.  Johnson. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  A.  D.  G.) 

March  27th,  1886. 

Dear  Sir, — In  answer  to  yours  of  yesterday,  I  believe  it 
would  be  a  great  gain  were :  All  our  States  to  adopt  one  uni- 
form Fertilizer  Law;  were  all  samples  for  official  analysis 
taken  by  honest  experts;  were  all  analyses  made  by  uniform 
(if  good)  methods.  I  also  believe — that  Experiment  Stations 
and  Departments  of  Agriculture  are  more  properly  supported 
by  a  general  tax  than  by  a  special  tax  on  manufacture  of 
fertilizers. 

There  are,  however,  two  sides  to  all  these  questions.  To 
illustrate : — 

1.  The  laws  that  now  appear  to  work  well  in  Georgia  and 
North  Carolina  would  not  apply  in  Connecticut. 

2.  The  detriment  caused  by  the  imperfect  sampling  of 
honest  men  or  by  the  "cooked"  samples  of  an  occasional 
rogue  would  be  oflFset  by  danger  of  systematic  fraud  by 
corrupt  experts. 

3.  Uniformity  in  methods  of  analysis  is  no  remedy  for 
bad  methods  or  unskilful  use  of  good  ones. 


232      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

4.  That  all  manufacturers  of  Fertilizers  do  not,  or  have 
not,  regarded  the  exaction  from  them  of  a  tax  as  oppressive 
or  unjust  would  appear  from  the  facts  that  the  first  legisla- 
tion of  that  kind  in  this  State  originated  with  a  manufacturer 
of  fertilizers,  and  that  fertilizer  makers  and  dealers  urged 
the  passage  of  the  present  law  on  the  ground  that  it  would 
give  steady  occupation  to  honest  manufacturers  while,  other- 
wise, the  frauds  practised  upon  and  feared  by  farmers  tended 
to  unsettle  the  business.    Yours  very  truly,  S.  W.  Johnson. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  F.  H,  S.,  Acknowledging  the  Receipt  of  a  New 
Edition  of  Stoker's  "Agriculture.") 

New  Haven,  Conn.,  Mar.  26,  1887. 

My  dear  Storer, — The  book  followed  close  on  your  note  of 
20th  inst.,  and  has  infatuated  me  even  as  a  love  story  tempo- 
rarily (or  permanently)  crazes  a  damozel.  I  found  it  on 
returning  from  a  two  days  attendance  on  the  law-making 
power  at  Hartford,  and  though  nearly  tired  out  I  sat  up 
0 'nights  over  it — at  first  reading  some  100  pages  with  due 
consideration,  then  as  the  fire  got  low  and  the  head  hot  I 
skimmed  the  pages — taking  cold  and  waking  up  next  morning 
with  congestion  of  the  two  valuable  viscerae  that  secrete  bile 
and  thought,  from  which  I  am  happily  recovered.  Well,  the 
plot  of  the  story  pleases  me  and  the  details  are  worked  up  in 
capital  shape.  I  feel  relieved  by  your  book  of  a  heavy  sense 
of  unread  and  undigested  literature — ^judicial  decisions  on 
natural  law — that  needed  codifying — I  have  the  code  now  in 
good  shape ! 

To  our  ag.  schools  the  book  will  be  of  the  utmost  value,  and 
the  Exp.  St.  boom  that  is  expected  from  the  Hatch  bill  will 
find  within  its  covers  both  stimulant  and  tonic  for  the  sober 
workers,  while  those  that  have  more  zeal  than  sense  will  find 
it  healthfully  sedative,  it  is  to  be  hoped. 

The  only  drawback  I  find  is  that  I  can't  praise  the  work 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         233 

to  my  friends  or  think  of  the  preface  without  fearing  that  you 
have  over-estimated  the  performance  of — Yours  most  humbly, 

S.  W.  Johnson. 

(President  Atherton  op  State  College,  Pennsylvania,  to 

S.  W.  J.) 

State  College,  Centre  Co.,  Pa.  9/16/1887. 

My  dear  Sir, — You  will  see  from  the  enclosed  circular  that 
we  are  hoping  for  your  presence  at  the  Washington  Conven- 
tion, and  I  beg  to  repeat  what  I  have  already  indicated,  that 
your  inability,  for  any  reason,  to  do  so,  will  be  a  great  dis- 
appointment to  us  all.  The  stage  now  reached  in  Agricultural 
Science  seems  to  rae  extremely  critical  and  hopeful.  Wise 
counsels  now  may  do  much  to  coordinate  and,  at  the  same 
time,  inspire  the  work  of  investigation,  throughout  the  entire 
country;  and  we  must  look  to  you  and  other  leaders  in  this 
field,  to  give  those  counsels.  I  hope  you  will  find  it  possible 
to  be  present.  If  that  should  be  out  of  the  question,  will  you 
not  try  to  send  a  paper,  even  if  only  a  short  one.  Faithfully 
yrs,  Geo.  W.  Atherton. 

Professor  Johnson,  with  collaboration  of  others, 
prepared  a  list  of  books  for  station  libraries,  which  is 
referred  to  in  the  correspondence  and  was  published 
by  the  Department  of  Agriculture. 

(G.  H.  C.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  Dec.  22,  1887. 

My  dear  Sir, —  .  .  .  All  that  I  have  heard  from  are  looking 
with  interest  for  your  list  of  ag.  books.  It  must  be  a  work  of 
considerable  extent,  and  rather  drudgery  at  that.  If  you 
choose  to  get  [an]  amanuensis  or  some  librarian  who  is  used 
to  cataloguing  books  to  help  you  in  the  work,  I  shall  be  glad  to 
help  in  seeing  that  the  expense  is  paid.  Hoping  to  see  you 
next  week,  I  remain.  Yours  truly,  Geo.  H.  Cook. 


234      LETTEE-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

(F.  H.  S.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

182  Boylston  St.,  Boston,  5  Jan.  1888. 

Dear  Johnson, — I  submit  a  list  for  you  to  rend  and  tear. 
Kick  'em  out — fire  them  out  (as  the  moderns  say) — at  your 
sweet  will.  I  have  no  feelings  about  them  at  all.  One  trouble 
is  that  I  don't  know  just  what  kind  of  an  altitude  you  have 
thrown  your  mind  into.  I  think  your  list  is  an  excellent  one — 
and  of  course  you  wish  to  keep  within  reasonable  limits — but 
I  know  that  I  wouldn't  have  voted  for  several  of  the  titles  of 
your  list  and  this  fact  emboldens  me  to  make  a  longer  list 
than  I  would  have  done  otherwise.  I  say,  for  example,  "the 
last  edition  of  Mulder  is  a  far  worthier  book  than  'Col- 
man'  " — and  so  I  write  down  Pierre!  Anyway,  I  have 
struck  out  many  titles  which  I  put  down  on  a  first  rough  list. 
I  would  have  been  inclined  e.g.  to  name  several  of  the  German 
Journals  of  Physiology  and  books  like  Dana's  and  LeConte's 
' '  Geologies ' '  and  MacFarlane  's  ' '  Geologist 's  Travelling  Hand- 
book" and  "Watt's  "Diet.  Chem. "  Likewise  some  of  the  works 
of  the  agricultural  fathers,  such  as  Thaer,  Scheele  and  Black. 

By  the  way,  I  have  been  wishing  to  say  all  summer  how 
much  I  was  gratified  by  the  notice  of  "Storer's  Agric. "  in 
Science.  I  have  felt  in  my  bones  all  along  that  this  notice 
was  written  or  ''inspired"  by  S.  W.  Johnson!  and  I  had 
thought  that  I  could  soon  find  out  about  it  and  so  openly  thank 
him.  Inasmuch  as  I  haven't  been  able  thus  far  to  learn  who 
did  write  it,  you  will  allow  me  to  slop  over  sufficiently  to  say 
that,  whoever  the  artist  was  who  drew  the  picture,  I  did  and 
do  keenly  appreciate  the  delicate  shading  which  he  put  into 
it.  He  started  out  with  his  pen  much  too  full  of  ink,  but 
when  he  got  to  talking  of  the  "difficulties  of  the  subject"  and 
of  "familiarity  with  the  conditions  of  practice"  (where  a 
tinker  would  have  said  familiarity  with  practice),  I  perceived 
the  hand  of  a  master  and  was  elated  and  "sot  up." 

N.  B.  You  must  send  me  a  copy  of  the  completed  list ! ! 
Sincerely  yours,  F.  H.  Storer. 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         235 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  F.  H.  S.) 

New  Haven,  Ct,  Jan.  13,  1888. 

My  dear  Storer, — I  became  duly  possessed  of  your  sending 
of  the  5th  inst.,  and  but  for  a  heavy  job  of  examination  papers. 
Station  Report,  proofs  and  other  jobs  of  writing  should  have 
thrown  the  arms  of  my  soul  around  the  neck  of  yours  and 
cried — evoel  ahoy!  prosit!  na!  or  something  in  a  "furrin" 
tongue  (badly  spelled  doubtless!)  to  express  my  delight  in 
such  an  east  wind  as  your  letter  brought  me  from  Bos-town. 
I  have  put  your  titles  all  into  my  catalogue — a  good  number 
of  them  were  booked  for  it  but  had  failed  to  get  copied,  but 
a  good  number  I  owe  to  your  suggestion. 

The  Science  review  of  your  "Agriculture"  I  did  not  write 
nor  do  I  positively  know  who  did.  I  suppose  it  was  Armsby. 
I  recommended  him  to  Science  to  do  their  ag.  Science  for 
them  and  he  has  a  good  head  on  him.  Has  just  gone  to  direct 
the  Pa.  State  Ag.  Exp.  Station. 

I  had  thought  I  might  run  on  to  Boston  and  see  you  during 
the  late  holiday  vacation — but  "business"  piled  up  and  I 
had  to  maintain  the  awful  grind. 

When  you  have  an  odd  day  and  want  a  change,  come  and 
stay  with  me  at  54  Trumbull  St.  My  wife  and  I,  having 
married  off  our  little  girl,  are  keeping  house  with  Hanna 
Anderson  and  the  cat,  and  can  keep  you  as  snug  and  quiet 
as  could  be  desired.    Yours  faithfully,  S.  W.  Johnson. 

The  wife  says  she  would  like  to  show  you  her  grandson  who 
lords  it  over  another  ward  of  this  city. 

(Original  Draft  op  Letter  op  S.  W.  J.  to  the  U.  S.  Com- 
missioner OP  Agriculture.) 

New  Haven,  Conn.,  Feb.  7,  1888. 

My  dear  Sir, — Tn  reference  to  your  proposition  to  eliminate 
or  materially  modify  Prof.  Comstock's  list  of  books  by  sub- 
mitting it  to  revision  by  the  Entomological  Division  of  the 


236      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

U.  S.  Dept.  of  Ag.,  I  have  only  to  say  that  I  have  no  objection 
to  any  treatment  of  that  list  which  Prof.  Comstock  will  assent 
to.  It  is  his  list,  contributed  in  response  to  my  request.  He 
must  be  consulted  in  regard  to  any  modification  of  it. 

I  think  I  fully  appreciate  the  situation — the  issuing  of  the 
List  under  the  auspices  and  in  the  name  of  the  Department — 
but  I  see  clearly  that  any  course  of  logic  that  leads  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  entomological  list  should  be  submitted  to 
the  Department-Entomologist  for  the  oil  of  his  consecration 
applies  with  equal  force  to  the  chemical,  botanical  and  other 
lists  which  I  have  taken  the  trouble  to  prepare;  and  whose 
publication  by  the  Department  is  just  as  proper  or  improper 
as  that  of  the  entomological  list.  But  I  do  not  think  that 
half  as  much  fault  will  be  found  with  the  printing  of  Prof. 
Comstock 's  list  as  would  be  with  any  modification  or  suppres- 
sion of  it.  I  was  asked  to  prepare  the  list  not  because  I  am 
the  one  best  able  to  do  that  work,  but  because  at  the  juncture 
I  happened  to  be  available.  My  name  on  that  list  and  the 
names  of  those  whom  I  have  credited  as  collaborators  imply 
no  lack  of  ability  on  the  part  of  the  Department  ofiicers  to 
do  that  job.  Prof.  Riley  and  his  associates  cannot  reasonably 
be  expected  to  do  all  the  entomological,  nor  Prof.  Wiley  and 
his  associates  all  the  chemical  work  that  is  urgently  needed  in 
this  country.  If  any  difficulty  remains  in  your  mind  about 
printing  the  list  as  it  stands,  please  return  it  to  me.  I  will 
print  it  as  a  Bulletin  of  this  Station  under  the  Hatch  Bill. 
Yours  very  truly,  S.  W.  Johnson. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  F.  H.  S.) 

New  Haven,  Conn.,  Oct.  13,  1888. 

My  dear  Storer, — Prof.  Atwater  has  an  appointment  from 
the  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agr.  to  take  charge  of  some  work  anent 
Exp.  Stations  and  will  soon  call  on  you  and  explain  it,  and 
ask  your  friendly  advice  and  cooperation.  I  have  promised 
to  help  him  as  far  as  I  am  able,  and  I  hope  you  may  have  time 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         237 

and  will  to  hear  him  patiently  and  to  give  him  your  support 
actively. 

We  latter-day  Pharisees  may  have  nearly  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  nothing  good  can  come  out  of  Washington  Naza- 
reth, but  the  Voice  crying  in  the  Wilderness  has  not  been 
altogether  unheard  and  the  "convention"  last  year  seemed 
to  me  like  a  sort  of  star-led  congress,  a  pilgrimage  of  the 
Magi  and  of  the  prophets  and  seers,  and  [if]  the  wise  men  of 
the  East  will  lend  a  hand — may  we  not  see  the  Hand  of  the 
Lord  and  have  opened  to  us  the  way  of  salvation  ?  I  write  in 
parable  if  not  hyperbole,  yet  reverently  and  with  fear  and 
trembling  lest  with  such  signs  and  wonders  in  the  heavens  I 
should  be  found  unworthy  to  come  up  to  the  temple — because 
of  unbelief  and  hardness  of  heart ! 

I  have,  with  others,  favored  Prof.  Atwater's  appointment 
because  he  has  the  spirit  of  prophecy  and  appears  to  me  to  be 
a  chosen  vessel.  Doubtless  you  and  I,  could  we  undertake 
everything,  would  do  many  things  very  differently  from  what 
he  would,  but  with  his  diversity  of  gifts  he  has  the  same 
spirit  and  a  splendid  stock  of  muscle  too,  very  essential,  which 
some  of  us  have  not.  I  shall  pray  for  him  when  he  enters  the 
lion's  den,  and  may  the  Highest  deliver  him  and  build  him 
up.  This  script  is  not  only  to  bespeak  your  favorable  inter- 
est in  Atwater's  mission,  but  to  say  good  morrow  and  God- 
speed to  yourself. 

Enjoyed  Prof.  J.  P.  Cooke  and  Mrs.  Cooke's  very  pleasant 
countenances  for  3  weeks  at  Holderness,  New  Hampshire,  in 
July  and  August  last.  Ask  them  about  that  loveliest  of 
places !    Yours,  S.  W.  Johnson. 

In  1890,  Professor  Johnson  published  a  new  edition 
of  **How  Crops  Grow."  Without  his  knowledge,  his 
portrait  was  included  in  the  volume.  He  had  con- 
sented to  the  reproduction  of  his  photograph  in  the 
columns  of  an  agricultural  journal;  the  possibility  of 
this  permission  being  extended  without  his  sanction 


238      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

to  cover  the  book  did  not  occur  to  Mm.  A  saving 
sense  of  humor  enabled  him  to  meet  this  annoyance, 
to  which  we  owe  several  of  the  letters  that  follow: 

(Dr.  Peter  Collier,  Director  of  New  York  Experiment 
Station,  to  S.  W.  J.) 

Geneva,  N.  Y.,  Feby.  2nd,  1890. 

My  dear  Professor  Johnson,  I  come  for  two  favors — I'm 
always  coming.  1st  I  wish  a  copy  of  "your  book,"  as  Liebig 
called  it,  and  your  name  sending  it  to  one  of  your  first-born 
(I  speak  of  Agriculture)  and  your  most  loving  disciple.  I 
will  gladly  send  for  it  to  publishers,  but  I  wish  it  from  you. 
I'm  good  for  it.  2nd  I  wish  you  would  consult  with  Brewer 
and  tell  me  of  any  good  available  men  in  any  branch  of 
agricultural  science.    Afftly  yours,  Peter  Collier. 

(F.  H.  S.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

182  Boylston  St.,  Boston,  10  April  1890. 

Dear  Johnson, — Hail !  Hail !  I — which  is  in  no  sense  to  be 
translated  Alle  Hagel.  Likewise  the  countenance  of  him ! ! ! 
which  reminds  me  of  Francis  Parkman,  Historian  and  Horti- 
culturist. 

After  I  have  done  myself  the  pleasure  and  profit  of  reading 
the  book  I  will  write  to  you  a  note  of  veritable  thanks.  These 
present  lines  are  to  acknowledge  the  reception  of  the  new 
edition  of  "H.  C.  G."  and  to  congratulate  the  author  as  for 
a  man-child  born  again.     Sincerely  yours,       F.  H.  Storer. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  F.  H.  S.) 

New  Haven,  Conn.,  Apr.  12th,  1890. 

My  dear  Storer, — I  thought  that  countenance  would  draw 
your  fire.  Well  can  you  imagine  that  any  body  but  a  live 
Yankee,  and  a  Massachusetts  man  at  that,  should,  would,  or 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         239 

could  make  and  put  as  frontispiece  in  another  man's  book 
such  a  portrait,  or  any  portrait  of  anybody,  without  the 
author's  consent  or  knowledge?  That's  the  state  of  the  case, 
and  after  having  that  book  concealed  on  my  premises  for 
weeks,  trying  to  make  up  my  mind  whether  I  should  drink 
hemlock  or  fire  an  explosive  bullet  into  the  carcass  of  my 
enemy,  I  concluded  I  would  fire  the  book  at  my  friends  and 
take  what  fun  there  may  be  left  in  this  life  in  looking  on 
while  they  wonder  at  the  altitudes  and  profundities  of  an 
author's  vanity! 

In  a  few  copies  I  have  sent  over  the  sea  I  have  carefully 
excised  that  ornamental  feature,  for  thus  saith  the  Scripture 
"If  thy  right  hand  offend  thee"  &c,  but  in  this  free  country 
I  conclude  to  face  the  music  and  'tend  to  my  business.  "When 
I  read  in  the  Country  Gentleman  that  "the  present  edition 
is  adorned  with  the  portrait  of  the  author,"  I  said  to  myself — 
there's  one  true  friend!  but  what  an  ass  he  must  conclude  I 
have  grown  to  be ! ! 

Well  the  book  will  serve  my  classes  of  1  to  4  students,  and 
as  I  grow  old  and  ugly  they  may  derive  some  pleasure  at  the 
thought  that  they  are  not  the  only  fellows  who  like  caricatures. 
I  send  you  the  two  photos,  which  I  sent  the  publisher  to 
insert  in  his  "paper,"  and  stop  his  importunity.  Yours  with 
much  love,  S.  W.  Johnson. 

(F.  H.  S.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

Boston  20  April  1890. 

Dear  Johnson, — I  am  very  glad  to  have  the  photos,  which 
do  most  certainly  much  better  represent  than  does  the  frontis- 
piece the  man  as  I  have  known  him.  I  do  not  wonder  that 
your  wrath  was  within  you  stirred  both  as  to  the  matter  and 
the  manner  of  your  taking  off.  And  yet,  do  you  know  ?  That 
picture  in  the  book  is  not  wholly  to  be  deprecated.  Unlike, 
it  is  no  doubt  in  many  respects, — because  inade<iuate;  and  in 
some  points  perhaps  it  is  displeasing  because  forsooth  we 


240      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

naturally  wish  to  have  a  portrait  truly  represent  its  principal, 
but  it  is  not  of  the  nature  for  caricature — not  in  the  least! 
It  is  a  strong,  resolute,  intellectual  face  with  chin  and  nose 
and  forehead  very  much  comme  il  faut.  All  the  trouble  is 
that  the  sensitized  plate  happened  to  catch  such  a  strong 
impression  of  brain  and  jaw,  as  emanations  from  these 
weighty  organs  impinged  upon  it,  that  no  sufficient  room  was 
left  for  the  depiction  of  certain  delicate  traits  which  would 
have  imparted  the  natural  and  proper  flavor  of  Gemiithlich- 
keit. 

I  wish  I  could  send  you  photographs  of  my  own  personality. 
I  haven't  had  any  in  my  possession  for  something  like  30 
years,  and  I  am  too  much  in  the  dumps  at  the  present  moment 
to  think  of  being  ''taken." 

I  have  been  reading  the  new  H.  C.  G.  with  no  small  amount 
of  satisfaction  and  am  now  more  than  ever  anxious  to  see  a 
new  edition  of  H.  C.  F.,  with  which  volume  as  it  happens  I 
am  personally  in  much  closer  sympathy  than  with  the  one  now 
in  hand.  Not  that  I  don't  love  this  one,  but  that  I  love  the 
other  more. 

Mentally,  I  care  but  little  for  gardening  or  horticulture. 
For  farming,  on  the  contrary,  I  am  keen.  Unlike  yourself, 
I  have  never  been  much  attracted  by  botany,  or  morphology 
or  by  vegetable  physiology  (as  she  is  taught), — all  of  which 
is  very  wrong  of  me  and  base — as  I  well  know.  But  when 
you  get  upon  topics  where  chemistry  can  be  "applied,"  you 
may  be  sure  of  one  attentive  auditor.  I  am  much  struck  in 
the  new  vol.  by  your  loyalty  to  high  science — so  to  say.  And 
therein  you  are  wise.  You  hold  yourself  and  your  reader 
well  up  above  any  low  or  "temporary"  point  of  view.  Most 
of  us,  perhaps,  are  only  too  ready  to  talk  down  towards  the 
level  of  the  "practical  man,"  and  in  all  probability  little  or 
nothing  is  gained  by  our  doing  so. 

Of  course  there  are  a  dozen  things  I  would  like  to  talk  with 
you  about.    For  example  ' '  avenine. ' '    Manifestly  the  French- 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         241 

man  evolved  it  out  of  consciousness.  But  the  practical  worka- 
day fact  remains  true  that  oats  do  "excite"  horses,  while 
maize  does  not.  How  horrid  to  be  torn  from  moorings  and 
driven  upon  the  deep  tempestuous  sea ! !    Sincerely  yours, 

F.  H.  Storer. 

(E.  W.  H.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

Berkeley,  May  8,  1890. 

My  dear  Sir, — I  have  to  thank  you  for  a  copy  of  the  new 
edition  of  "How  Crops  Grow,"  the  receipt  of  which  would 
have  been  acknowledged  much  sooner  had  I  not  been  per- 
emptorily kept  with  ' '  the  nose  to  the  grindstone ' '  in  the  prep- 
aration of  MS.  for  the  State  printer,  so  as  to  make  even  a 
cursory  perusal  of  the  book  difficult,  much  less  an  * '  eingehende 
Betrachtung, "  as  they  say  in  Germany.  But  right  at  first  I 
was  pleasantly  surprised  by  the  view  of  your  pleasant  counte- 
nance as  a  frontispiece — reminding  me,  by  the  slight  change 
in  the  fifteen  years  that  have  elapsed  since  we  met,  that  the 
days  flow  by  calmly  in  the  city  of  elms;  while  here  the  pro- 
verbial restlessness  and  hurry  of  American  life  reaches  its 
maximum  and  makes  its  mark  on  us.  In  fact,  I  often  repeat 
mentally  the  pregnant  remark  of  the  Badenser  forty-niner: 
*  *  Wann  's  noch  lang  so  f ortgeht,  geht  's  nimmer  lang  so  fort ! ' ' 
And  yet  it  seems  impossible  to  stop  without  having  the  Jug- 
gernaut of  public  expectations  and  demands  run  clean  over 
one. 

Now  as  for  the  lK)ok,  I  greet  it  with  empressement ;  for  in 
using  it  ever  since  I  emigrated  from  Michigan,  I  have  every 
year  had  to  add  more  to  the  text,  until  the  students  felt 
aggrieved  at  my  not  sticking  closer  to  the  book.  That  is  all 
right  now,  and  more  so,  for  you  have  given  in  compendious 
forms  some  matters  that  I  had  not  been  able  to  get  into 
shape  to  my  satisfaction,  even  in  my  own  head.  In  looking 
over  your  text  on  the  albuminoids,  I  begin  to  regret  the  good 
olden  time  when  we  knew  so  much  more  definitely  about  these 


242      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

things  than  we  do  now!  And  what  if  Hammond's  cobra- 
poison  albuminoid  should  turn  out  to  be  a  fact? — But  one 
question  in  that  connection:  Why  do  you  omit  animal  glue 
from  your  enumeration?  My  students  have  asked  me  that 
question  repeatedly.     Ever  yours  truly,      E.  W.  Hilgard. 

(J.  B.  L.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

Rothamsted,  St.  Albans,  April  28,  1890. 

My  dear  Sir, —  .  .  .  Your  books  have  been  of  great  service 
to  myself  as  well  as  to  all  students  in  agriculture.  This 
science  is  occupying  a  great  many  more  people's  attention 
than  was  the  case  when  I  first  began  my  experiments  and  it 
would  appear  that  your  countrymen  will  before  very  long 
occupy  a  very  prominent  place  in  agricultural  investigation. 
Believe  me,  Sincerely  yours,  J.  B.  Lawes. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  F.  H.  S.) 

New  Haven,  Ct.,  May  10th,  1890. 

Dear  Storer, — Apropos  of  "avenin"  of  Sanson — I  wrote 
somewhat  wrong  in  stating  H.  C.  G.  (1890)  p.  121,  that 
Osborne  was  not  "able  to  find  any  evidence  of  the  presence 
of  such  a  body  in  oats."  He  did  find  "a  brown,  granular, 
non-cryst.  substance."  He  did  not  find  a  substance  of  alka- 
loidal  character.  Sanson's  evidence  of  "alkaloidal  character" 
was  derived  from  its  action  on  the  nerve-system,  and  his  view 
was  apparently  confirmed  by  finding  a  large  content  of  nitro- 
gen. 

The  body  Osborne  got  was  undoubtedly  an  albuminoid  as 
that  Sammelwort  is  now  understood.  Since  all  that  in  H.  C.  G. 
was  printed,  S.  Martin  (Berliner  Berichte  XXII — 770  e  from 
Proc.  Roy.  Soc.  46  100-108)  asserts  that  the  alhumose  of  the 
"prayer  bean,"  Ahrus  precatorius,  is  a  poison  deadly  in  doses 
of  0.060  gm.  per  kilo  of  animal  live  weight  when  administered 
in  aqueous  solution  by  subcutaneous  injection.  Martin  says 
the   poison-symptoms   are   the   same   as   those   produced  by 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         243 

globulin  (whereof  I  know  not),  and,  further,  he  holds  the 
abrus-poison  similar  to  that  of  Schlangengift  in  composition 
and  action. 

If  Martin  be  right — and  he  appears  to  be  a  God-fearing  and 
truly  chemical  biologist — then  Sanson  and  you  may  be  also 
right  in  holding  that  oats  have  an  alkaloidal  or  quasi-alka- 
loidal  action  on  the  nervous  system  although  avenin  is  not  a 
derivative  of  pyridine  or  quinoline.    Yours  most  faithfully, 

S.  W.  Johnson. 

P.  S. — My  former  colleague,  Wm.  A.  Norton,  engineer  and 
astronomer — now  5  yrs.  at  rest — used  to  aver  that  he  could 
not  eat  oatmeal — *  *  it  excited  him  so ! "  I  could  never  find  it 
made  any  special  impression  on  my  Riickenmark  or  any  of  its 
Verzweigungen — but  then  I  am  not  one  of  Reichenbach 's 
* '  sensitive  Menschen. ' ' 

(F.  H.  S.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

182  Boylston  St.,  Boston,  12  May,  1890. 

Dear  Johnson, — You  bring  to  mind  a  point  which  has 
often  bothered  me.  The  English  have  a  proverbial  expression 
which  has  made  many  an  American  lady  look  aghast.  In 
speaking  of  a  bumptious  youth,  they  are  apt  to  say  "He  is 
full  of  beans."  This  expression  has  passed  from  the  stable 
to  the  parlor  precisely  like  our  * '  He  feels  his  oats, ' '  of  which 
it  is  practically  the  equivalent.  A  knowledge  of  this  expres- 
sion has  occasionally  shaken  my  faith  in  the  "excitement  in 
oats";  but  then  comes  our  daily  contrast  of  oats  and  maize 
and  the  absent  horse-bean  is  out  of  mind  and  "has"  of 
course  "toujours  tort."  If  there  is  an  exciting  albuminoid 
such  as  you  tell  of  it  will  compose  matters  not  a  little. 

By  the  way,  there  was  an  English  chemist  here  last  winter, 
W.  Maxwell,  who  had  much  to  say  of  Cholin.  He  looked  up 
the  practices  of  our  housewives,  and  learned  that  it  is  custom- 
ary in  these  parts  to  soak  the  "Boston  bean"  before  cooking 
it  and  to  throw  away  the  cholinated  water! 


244      LETTEE-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

That  is  an  interesting  tale,  too,  which  you  tell  of  Prof.  Nor- 
ton's excitement  from  oatmeal.  I  had  never  thought  of  the 
possibility  of  such  human  excitation.  Tons  of  the  stuff  have  I 
eaten — and,  as  you  well  know,  milder  mannered  man  did  never 
cut  a  throat;  albeit  a  "drop"  of  coffee  or  of  tea  will  most 
surely  keep  me  awake  for  hours  at  night.  But  then  you  know 
how  Ninon — as  Dr.  Holmes  narrates — told  of  her  being  intoxi- 
cated by  a  beefsteak  once — during  convalescence.  Sincerely 
yours,  F.  H.  Storer. 

One  thing  to  be  tried  would  be  to  see  if  horses  are  excited 
by  cooked  oats.  Is  Armsby  so  situated  that  he  could  try  this 
exp. ?  It  would  be  of  value  to  verify  Sanson's  "electrical" 
tests,  anyway. 

Perhaps  Sanson  tried  the  effect  of  heat  on  his  avenin  ? 

I  am  afar  from  books,  as  I  write,  but  I  remain  as  usual 

Thine— 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  S.  P.) 

Nov.  4—1890. 

My  dear  Parsons, — Some  months  ago  I  had  it  on  my  mind  to 
write  you  that  I  was  going  to  come  dowTi  to  Gotham  with  my 
friend  Olcott,  and  talk  grass.  Olcott  has  been  working  on 
that  subject  for  some  years,  and  is  on  the  track  of  some  very 
positive  improvements  in  that  line,  we  think  here.  You  are 
situated  very  favorably  to  aid  in  developing  and  publishing 
his  plans  and  results  and  I  knew  would  appreciate  his  good 
points  better  than  any  one  I  know. 

Well  I  didn't  get  so  far  as  to  write  or  go,  and  for  good 
reasons,  viz. — too  much  to  do.  In  the  meantime  Olcott — who 
is  enterprising — has  interviewed  you,  and  hopes  to  get  oppor- 
tunity to  show  his  faith  by  his  works  under  your  eye  and 
auspices.  I  told  him  last  week  that  tomorrow — weather  being 
favorable — I  would  join  him  on  an  outing  to  Central  Park, 
and  try  with  him  to  see  you  for  a  few  minutes. 

This  Station  is  assisting  him  and  being  assisted  by  him,  and 
we  are  very  desirous  to  add  to  our  experimental  plots,  prom- 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         245 

ising  grass-varieties,  for  lawn  or  grazing  and  are  glad  to  have 
his  field  of  observation  extended.  So  if  we,  or  Olcott  alone, 
should  turn  up  at  your  office  soon,  it  will  be  mainly  for  the 
grass  business.     Yours  very  truly,  S.  W.  Johnson. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  A.  S.  C.) 

Dee.  26,  1891. 

Dear  Sir, — In  answer  to  yours  of  21st,  I  may  say  that  the 
"Fertilizer  Law"  of  this  State  requires  this  Station  to  analyze 
every  Fertilizer  sold,  offered  or  exposed  for  sale  in  -this  State, 
costing  $10  or  more  per  ton  and  to  publish  an  Annual  Report; 
the  U.  S.  Law  requires  us  to  publish  4  Bulletins  annually,  so 
that  we  can 't  help  advertising  the  manufacturers  of  Commer- 
cial Manures.  Our  other  duties  are  definitely  laid  down  in 
the  law,  and  if  we  do  them  we  have  neither  time  nor  means  to 
use  for  holding  meetings  or  carrying  on  the  very  useful  and 
much  needed  work  you  refer  to.  The  Board  of  Agriculture 
or  the  State  Agricultural  Society  are  the  proper  State  organi- 
zations to  hold  agricultural  meetings,  and  they  are  doing,  I 
suppose,  what  they  can  with  very  small  funds.  It  is  a  pity 
that  so  many  of  the  most  enterprising  of  those  born  and 
brought  up  to  early  manhood  in  this  State  should  have  gone 
all  over  the  West  and  South  to  "make  things  lively"  there, 
while  so  many  of  "the  other  sort"  are  letting  things  go  to 
the  dogs  at  home. 

I  shall  send  your  letter  to  Sec'y  T.  S.  Gold  of  West  Corn- 
wall— of  the  Board  of  Agriculture — so  that  he  may  know 
there  is  a  live  farmer  in  Canton  who  wants  to  help  "stir  up 
the  dry  bones,"  and  if  he  or  any  other  organizer  wants  my 
help  it  will  be  forthcoming.    Yours  very  truly,  S.  W.  Johnson. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  F.  H.  S.) 

28th  March,  1892. 

My  dear  Storer, — Accept  my  best  thanks  for  the  copy  of 
"Agriculture."    I  am  glad  to  see  "4th  edition"  on  the  title 


246      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

page.  The  chapter  on  Symbiosis  is  capital.  I  laid  aside  my 
novel  to  read  it.  I  was  away  from  home  last  week  or  should 
have  more  promptly  acknowledged  receipt  of  your  postal  and 
the  books.  ...  I  send  you  by  this  mail  2  copies  of  a  study  of 
the    "Proteids    of   Zea   Mays    Kernel."      Yours    faithfully, 

S.  W.  J. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  J.  G.  S.) 

Feb.  16,  1894. 

Dear  Sir, — In  answer  to  yours  of  13th  inst.,  I  would  state 
that  the  U.  S.  appropriation  under  Act  of  1887  is  in  this 
State  equally  divided  between  the  Connecticut  Ag.  Exp. 
Station  at  New  Haven  and  the  Storrs  Station  at  Storrs. 

As  to  my  opinion  regarding  the  division  of  the  fund,  I 
should  say  that  the  entire  annual  appropriation  is  not  enough 
of  itself  to  carry  on  a  first  class  Station;  and  to  divide  it 
would  be  detrimental  to  the  best  interests  of  all  concerned, 
unless  by  such  division  the  services  of  men  or  institutions 
could  be  secured  which  would  compensate  for  the  disadvan- 
tages of  duplicating  equipments,  directors,  experts  and  ser- 
vants. 

I  do  not  doubt  that  at  present  the  State  of  Connecticut  is 
getting  better  service  in  some  respects  than  she  would  with 
but  one  Station,  and  for  the  reason  that  both  Stations  are 
doing  high  class  work  on  low  class  pay.  But  when  in  the 
future  those  who  conduct  these  Stations  fit  their  service  to 
their  pay,  the  result  will  be  very  different.  The  cherry  is  not 
enough  for  two  good  bites!    Very  sincerely  yours, 

S.  W.  Johnson. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  J.  G.  S.) 

Feb.  24,  1894. 

Dear  Sir, — The  situation  in  this  State,  of  Agricultural  edu- 
cation and  experiment  stations,  would  require  a  considerable 
volume  to  set  forth  fully,  and  I  fear  I  cannot  make  it  intelli- 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         247 

gible  in  the  compass  of  a  letter.  The  SheflSeld  Scientific 
School  at  the  time  of  the  passage  of  the  Hatch  Act,  1887,  as  in 
all  its  history  previous  to  that  time,  was  spending  consider- 
ably more  than  its  income — was,  in  other  words,  obliged  to 
nse  every  year  more  or  less  of  the  funds  which  it  was  extremely 
desirable  to  keep  as  a  permanent  investment.  It  was  for 
several  reasons  thought  imprudent  for  the  School  to  set  up  a 
new  Exp.  Station.  The  Hatch  act  required,  should  the  School 
claim  its  benefits,  that  land  and  buildings  should  be  pro- 
vided, for  which  the  School  had  no  funds.  The  Governing 
Board  addressed  a  letter  to  the  State  Authorities  waiving 
their  claim  to  the  fund  ($15,000)  in  favor  of  the  State  Exp. 
Station.  Already  the  movement  which  culminated  last  year 
in  making  the  "Storrs  School"  into  the  "Storrs  College  of 
Agriculture  and  the  Mechanic  Arts ' '  was  in  the  air,  and  those 
who  engineered  the  latter  movement  secured  the  establish- 
ment in  1887  of  the  Storrs  Ag.  Exp.  Station,  having,  so  they 
claim,  previously  "tinkered"  the  Hatch  bill  to  make  a  divi- 
sion of  the  Hatch  fund  possible  in  this  State.  This  was  a 
preliminary  step  towards  that  result  which  is  set  forth  in  the 
"Report  of  Committee  on  Education — National  Grange  B.  of 
H.,  1892"  signed  by  Alpha  Messer,  and  especially  in  the 
Resolution  therein  submitted,  "That  the  National  Grange 
Legislative  Committee  be  instructed  to  continue  their  efforts 
for  the  passage  of  a  law  by  Congress  requiring  the  different 
states  which  have  united  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical 
Colleges  with  classical  institutions  to  separate  the  Agricultural 
and  Mechanical  Colleges  from  the  classical"  etc.  etc. 

I  mail  to  your  address  a  package  of  five  documents — four 
Reports  of  the  SheflSeld  Scientific  School  and  a  paper  on 
Recent  Legislation — with  references  on  covers  to  printed 
statements  that  explain  the  situation  at  some  length  and  in 
some  respects.  I  shall  be  happy  to  answer  any  further 
inquiries  as  far  as  I  am  able.     Very  truly  yours, 

S.  W.  Johnson. 


248      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  W.  E.  B.) 

New  Haven,  Conn.,  Mar.  31st,  1894. 

My  dear  Sir — In  answer  to  yours  of  28th,  I  take  the  first 
leisure  moment  to  say  that  we  have  decided  to  begin  at  once 
erecting  a  plant  house,  and  shall  be  glad  to  learn  of  your 
acceptance  of  the  proposal  I  made  at  our  interview,  which 
I  may  state  more  definitely  as  follows: — You  to  come  on  and 
take  your  residence  in  New  Haven  the  1st  of  May  (or  as 
soon  as  we  can  get  ready  to  give  you  occupation),  and  work  in 
the  line  of  vegetation  experiments  and  horticulture,  for  six 
months  or  until  Nov.  1st.  We  cannot  now  make  any  plan  for 
continuing  the  engagement  beyond  that  time  (Nov.  1st)  but 
I  hope  that  long  before  the  six  months  have  expired,  the  means 
will  be  found  to  make  a  permanent  engagement  should  you 
and  we  find  such  engagement  mutually  satisfactory.  The 
pay  for  the  six  months  to  be  $50  per  month,  paid  on  the  last 
day  of  each  month. 

You  would  work  under  direction  of  Dr.  Jenkins  and  myself. 
Dr.  J.  and  I  are  in  entire  harmony  and  he  is  a  very  agreeable 
person  to  work  with.  No  one  else  would  interfere  with  your 
operations.  I  don't  think  there  would  be  any  difficulty  in 
your  getting  away  two  or  three  times  to  New  Hampshire. 
There  will  be  some  one  to  look  after  your  work  when  needful. 
We  have  a  pretty  good  Station  Library,  and  there  are  others 
to  which  you  could  have  access. 

I  think  I  have  answered  every  point  raised  in  your  letter. 
If  anything  occurs  to  you  for  further  inquiry  I  shall  be  glad 
to  respond.  Hoping  to  get  your  decision  soon,  so  that  should 
you  conclude  not  to  come  we  can  negotiate  with  some  one  else 
in  time  for  the  season's  work,  I  remain.  Very  truly  yours, 

S.  W.  Johnson. 
(S.  W.  J.  TO  E.  H.  J.) 

Holderness,  N.  H.,  Aug.  20,  1894. 

Dear  Geheimer  Rath, — I  have  been  thinking  about  Horti- 
culture, Greenhouses  and  Brother  B.     To  do  anything  with 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         249 

greenhouses  this  coming  winter  it  will  be  needful  to  expend 
a  thousand  dollars  ±  very  soon.  Doubtless  we  can  do  it,  but 
we  really  ought  to  spend  two  or  three,  or  more,  thousand  dol- 
lars in  order  to  have  a  good  plant.  The  method  we  have 
followed  I  am  very  tired  of.  We  take  a  deal  of  trouble, 
scrimp  and  go  on  tick,  and  finally  get  a  good  deal  less  than 
we  ought  to  have.  It  will  not  be  economical  to  put  heat  into 
our  present  house  and  build  a  cheap  and  small  potting  house, 
and  then  next  year  add  another  small  house,  and  go  on  patch- 
ing up  and  piecing  out.  If  necessary,  why  we  will  do  so  of 
course,  but  I  feel  it  would  be  better  to  stop  where  we  are 
until  the  State  has  given  us  a  good  sized  appropriation  for 
enlargement  and  improvement  of  Laboratory  and  Greenhouse. 
Then  we  can  go  ahead  in  good  shape. 

Meanwhile,  we  must  find  occupation  for  Britton  and  pre- 
pare to  carry  the  law-makers  to  the  point  of  giving  us 
$20,000  ±  .  .  . 

I  will  go  on  a  collecting  tour  and  get  a  mass  of  material, 
and  see  that  there  is  enough  to  employ  Britton  and  hold  him 
until  we  can  mature  the  greenhouse  and  Horticulture  busi- 
ness. .   .   . 

As  preliminary  to  asking  for  appropriations  would  it  not 
be  well  to  get  ready  and  send  to  all  the  important  fairs  this 
fall,  a  Station  exhibit  to  interest  and  instruct  the  people? 

I  am  thinking  of  coming  home  in  the  first  week  of  Septem- 
ber, and  will  help  in  this  line  of  Chr.  Endeavor.  The  things 
we  can  exhibit  are: 

Ist.  Babcock  test,  if  there  are  any  places  where  it  has  not 
been  sufficiently  shown. 

2nd.  Back  numbers  of  Reports  and  Bulletins  that  are  in 
our  lumber  room  can  be  put  in  circulation  in  considerable 
numbers. 

3rd.  Station  Chemical  and  Mycol.  Exhibit.  An  abbrevia- 
tion of, — or  selection  from  the  Ch.  Exhibit  we  used  to  send 
around,  but  made  attractive  by  some  simple  expts.  e.  g. 


250      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

(a)  Burn  P  and  prepare  "bone  phosphate"  and  explain 
and  prepare  supers,  (b)  Burn  K  and  explain  potash,  and 
show  etc.,  the  salts,  (c)  Show  color  tests  for  nitrates,  and 
demonstrate  its  presence  in  soils  and  well  waters,  (d)  Show 
photos  (large !)  of  our  work  last  summer  and  this  on  corn 
plants.  (e)  Exhibit  Wagner's  plates  with  explanations, 
(f )     Show  Fungus  diseases  with  pictures,  etc. 

It  would  be  important  as  far  as  possible  to  get  Station  work 
in  such  shape  that  all  hands  can  attend  the  fairs  and  show  up 
the  Station. 

Now  I  '11  let  you  up  and  get  my  breakfast  and  mail  this  for 
your  consideration.  But  it  occurs  to  me  and  I  '11  put  it  down, 
that  the  Station  might  do  well  in  some  cases,  or  all  where 
practicable,  to  have  a  special  hour  or  hours  appointed  at  the 
fairs  for  its  demonstrations  or  talks,  ''conferences"  of  Bab- 
cock,  etc.  Avec  I'hommage  du  cceur.  Yours,  S.  W.  J. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  E.  H.  J.) 

Aug.  25,  1894. 

My  dear  Dr.  Jenkins, — Yours  of  22d  expresses  my  senti- 
ments better  than  I  could  do  myself.  ...  It  seems  to  me 
that  next  spring  we  must  enlarge  the  present  glass  house  or 
build  another,  in  order  to  continue  and  expand  the  fertilizer 
plant  experiments.  That  is  a  racket  that  must  be  worked. 
If,  e.g.,  it  will  require  $1000  or  $800  to  set  up  the  winter  horti- 
culture, and  if  the  $1000  or  $800  is  to  come  from  our  next 
year's  regular  income,  it  is  a  serious  question  which  (heat  or 
new  house)  we  shall  devote  that  $1000  or  $800  to.  But  I 
need  not  discuss  this  further  on  paper  now. 

When  do  you  intend  leaving  New  Haven  for  Nantucket? 
(Don't  get  poisoned  with  their  water  in  that  ancient  and 
fish-like  island.  At  Siasconset,  when  I  was  there,  all  the 
drinking  water  came  from  one  well,  and  I  was  sorry  I  couldn  't 
drink  whiskey!)    .    .    .  Yours,  S.  W.  Johnson. 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         251 

(F.  H.  S.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

476  Boylston  St.,  Boston,  28  July,  1894. 

My  dear  Johnson, — I  send  you  by  mail  a  copy  of  a  new 
edition  of  the  old  elementary  chemistry  which  for  many  a 
year  was  part  and  parcel  of  my  life.  The  inception  of  it — 
or,  rather,  that  of  the  methodized  laboratory  experimentation 
which  the  book  was  made  to  help  out — was  probably  out  and 
away  the  most  important  act  of  my  life.  Why  can't  you 
spunk  up  and  say  some  words  about  this  book  in  the  American 
Journal  of  Science f  Trusting  that  you  are  as  full  of  "rest" 
and  vigor  as  a  coiled  spring,  I  am  as  always,  truly  yours, 

F.  H.  Storer. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  F.  H.  S.) 

Sweet  Ferns,  Holdemess,  N.  H.  Aug.  8,  '94. 

My  dear  Storer, — Yours  and  the  book  were  duly  reed.,  I 
am  grieved  to  think,  nearly  a  fortnight  ago.  I  read  the  book 
through  the  same  day,  but  that  feat  broke  my  bank,  or  back 
or  both,  and  I  have  not  read  or  writ  since.  In  fact  I  got  over- 
done in  April  and  since  have  been  "holding  on  by  the  gills" 
only — came  up  here  "mortal  tired,"  and  have  been  exclusively 
occupied  with  the  endeavor  to  get  up  my  muscle  and  improve 
the  digestive  ferments.  I  am  hopeful  that  the  affair  will 
prove  a  success,  but  I  am  yet  in  the  woods  or  at  least  in  cop- 
pice, and  bothered  a  good  deal  by  tanglelegs  and  rampikes. 

It  will  afford  me  keen  pleasure  to  undertake  the  notice,  and 
I  will  spunk  up  directly  and  let  myself  out  for  that  job  for 
all  I'm  worth.    Yours  faithfully,  S.  W.  Johnson. 

(F.  H.  S.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 
476  Boylston  St.,  Boston,  28  Sept.  1894. 

Dear  Johnson, — Prithee  tell  me — right  off  straight! — the 
name  and  address  of  the  Sec.  of  the  American  Association 
for  the  promotion  of  Agricultural  Science  or,  rather,  I  would 


252      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

like  to  know  where  to  apply  for  the  purchase  of  their  pub- 
lications. I  have  an  impression  that  Scovell  is  the  Sec,  but 
am  not  sure.    Sincerely  yours,  F.  H.  Storer. 

Wasn't  that  Lord  Rayleigh  work  on  the  residue  from  air- 
nitrogen  great? 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  F.  H.  S.) 

Sept.  30,  1894. 

—The  Secy  is  Prof.  Wm.  Frear,  State  College,  Pa. 

I  have  not  yet  read  anything  but  newspaper  accounts  of 
Rayleigh 's  work.  We  need  an  allotropic  nitrogen  or  oxidable 
N-compound  to  connect  chemistry  with  symbiosis !  and  need  it 
badly,  don 't  we  ? — 

(F.  H.  S.  TO  S.  W.  J.) 

476  Boylston  St.,  Boston,  1  Nov.  1894. 

Dear  Johnson, — You  're  a  trump  !  I  want  you  to  accept  my 
very  best  thanks — many  and  multifarious — for  the  "notice" 
in  this  month's  number  of  the  Journal.  Never  was  publication 
more  timely,  for  our  publishers  were  in  the  very  act  of  fretting 
under  the  jibes  of  the  agents  of  rival  publications,  and  were 
allowing  themselves  to  lend  an  all  too  willing  ear  to  such 
agents '  assertions  that  the  book  is  ' '  too  big  for  daily  use. ' ' 

I  have  been  protesting  right  along  (and  a  hard  fight  I  have 
had  of  it)  against  the  "trade"  feeling  that  a  text-book  must 
be  pared  down  to  lowest  term^,  and  have  insisted  that  this 
country  is  now  ripe  enough  to  permit  a  reputable  house  to 
give  over  the  peddling  of  white  oak  cheese  and  nothing  else. 

Last  week  I  read  for  the  first  time  what  Hilgard  said  in 
1882,  at  a  time  when  I  was  much  more  dead  than  alive — about 
my  (and  your!)  view  of  salt  and  lime  in  composts!!  He 
handled  his  theme  well.  I  acknowledge  full  satisfaction. 
Only  I  wish  I  had  known  of  his  explanation  before  reviewing 
my  "Agric." 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         253 

I  have  been  interested,  too,  in  a  really  noble  research  on 
petroleum  which  Maybury  (of  Cleveland)  is  carrying  on.  He 
confirms  Warren  right  and  left,  and  is  doing  himself  great 
credit.  It  is  a  joy  and  a  gladness  to  see  an  American  chemist 
manhandle  an  American  problem.     Sincerely  thine, 

F.  H.  Storer. 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  F.  W.  F.) 

May  22d,/95. 

My  dear  Sir, — I  am  very  sorry  that  my  answer  to  yours  of 
the  17th  inst.  has  been  so  long  delayed,  but  I  have  had  to  look 
for  more  definite  information  than  I  possessed  when  it  came 
to  hand,  and  even  now  I  cannot  be  quite  as  explicit  as  might 
be  desired. 

Various  preservatives  for  fruits  are  nowadays  employed 
with  success.  Among  them  benzoic  acid  or  sodium  henzoate 
(which  latter  placed  in  contact  with  acid  fruit-juices,  yields 
free  benzoic  acid)  is,  I  believe,  the  best.  Sodium  benzoate  is 
most  convenient,  as  it  dissolves  readily  (benzoic  acid  but 
slowly)  and  is  otherwise  unobjectionable. 

How  much  or  rather  how  little  to  use,  I  cannot  state  pre- 
cisely. While  there  is  no  evidence,  so  far  as  I  know,  that 
benzoic  acid  or  benzoate  are  in  any  way  injurious  when  taken 
into  the  digestive  tract,  in  small  quantities,  it  is  probably 
important  that  they  should  be  used  in  minimal  amount,  since 
otherwise  they  may  interfere  with  health. 

It  appears  to  be  well  authenticated  that  benzoic  acid  occurs 
in  various  edible  plants  and,  if  such  be  the  fact,  the  use  of  this 
acid  as  a  preservative  is  thereby  justified.  But  the  quantity 
naturally  existing  in  edible  vegetable  substances  is  doubtless 
very  small,  an  indication  that  it  should  be  sparingly  employed. 
The  cranberry,  which  has  remarkable  keeping  qualities,  is 
stated  to  contain  benzoic  acid,  and  it  is  not  unlikely  that 
huckleberries  also  contain  it  or  a  very  similar  acid. 

The  published  statements  that  I  have  access  to  are  rather 


254      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

vague,  but  I  gather  that  one  part  of  benzoic  acid  or  sodium 
benzoate  by  weight  will  be  ordinarily  sufficient  for  500  to  1000 
parts  by  weight  of  fruit. 

The  pineapple  contains  a  powerful  digestive  agent,  hrome- 
lin,  which  Professor  Chittenden  has  investigated,  and  which 
is  doubtless  a  principal  reason  of  the  salutary  quality  of  that 
fruit.  This  vegetable-pepsin  is  destroyed  by  a  boiling  heat, 
and  therefore  it  is  desirable  to  preserve  the  pineapple  un- 
cooked. Benzoic  acid,  I  believe,  does  not  in  the  least  impair 
the  digestive  power  of  bromelin. 

I  should  suppose  that  the  sliced  or  shredded  pineapple, 
sprinkled  with  a  little  sugar  and  with  the  benzoate,  and  put 
into  bottles  closed  with  clean  corks  or  into  fruit- jars,  would 
ordinarily  keep  without  further  trouble.  I  say  ordinarily, 
because  of  the  microbes  (fungi,  bacteria  and  what  not)  which 
occasion  the  moulding,  fermentation  or  putrefaction  of  fruits, 
the  name  is  legion,  and  some  are  vastly  more  hard  to  kill  or 
suppress  than  others.  It  may  happen,  therefore,  that  a  pro- 
portion of  benzoic  acid  which  will  answer  for  this  year,  or 
in  this  place,  or  with  the  pineapples  now  in  market,  will  be 
insufficient  next  year  or  elsewhere,  because  of  a  difference 
in  the  bacterial  seeding  or  inoculation. 

It  is  important  that  each  jar  of  fruit  should  receive  its 
proper  amount  of  benzoate.  I  should  advise  either  to  have 
weighed  out  (by  the  druggist)  and  placed  in  each  jar,  just 
the  dose  needed  and  add  to  each  the  amount  of  granulated 
sugar  required  for  sweetening,  or,  if  a  considerable  batch  of 
fruit  is  treated  at  once  with  a  single  dose  of  benzoate,  I  should 
sweeten  to  taste  with  dry  sugar,  and  keep  the  whole  some 
days  in  one  large  well-covered  vessel  until  the  fruit  has  yielded 
a  goodly  amount  of  juice  and  has  thereby  become  impreg- 
nated with  the  preservative.  The  former  plan  is  preferable 
since  it  is  desirable  to  avoid  exposing  the  fruit  unnecessarily 
to  seeding  with  the  bacterial  germs  wherewith  air  is  commonly 
loaded.    Yours  very  truly,  S.  W.  Johnson. 


STATE  EXPERIMENT  STATION         255 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  W.  E.  B.) 

Holdemess,  Sept.  17,  1895. 

My  dear  Mr.  Britton, — I  send  by  Am.  Express  this  morn- 
ing a  box  of  Apios  Roots  with  soil  containing  tubercles  and, 
it  is  to  be  presumed,  well  stocked  with  the  bacteria  and  bade- 
roids  needful  to  enable  this  leguminous-tuberous  plant  to 
supply  itself  with  Nitrogen,  Argon,  Helium  and  all  other 
gaseous  food.  It  is  just  as  well,  if  not  better,  not  to  talk  about 
this  plant  and  its  culture.  I  would  say  and  show  nothing — 
more  than  cannot  be  avoided — for  3  years  to  come.  I  would 
give  the  tubers  a  chance  to  do  their  best  in  garden  and  green- 
house, with  and  without  supplies  of  N  in  fertilizers.  Take 
care  of  all  the  earth  sent  so  that  the  bacteria  may  not  be  lack- 
ing. I  would  plant  out  a  row  of  the  tubers  in  rich  garden 
soil.  They  flourish  here  in  a  thicket  of  raspberry  bushes, 
sumachs,  etc.,  but  of  course  climb  well  into  sunshine.  Yours, 
etc.  S.  W.  Johnson. 

Baked,  the  tubers  are  well-tasting  and  haven't  poisoned  me. 
The  dose,  however,  was  small  like  the  tubers ! 

(S.  "W.  J.  TO  J.  "W.  W.,  Chairman  op  Agricultural 
Committee  of  Congress.) 

March  1896. 

Dear  Sir,— The  Bill  H.  R.  6729,  of  which  you  request  my 
opinion,  I  consider  objectionable  because  it  puts  upon  the 
Experiment  Stations,  or  legalizes,  the  raising  by  them  of 
seeds,  bulbs,  etc.  etc.  in  quantity  for  sale,  an  occupation  which 
is  contrary  to  the  objects  for  which  Exp.  Stations  were  estab- 
lished. I  do  not  regard  such  furnishing  of  seeds,  bulbs,  etc. 
etc.  by  Agricultural  Colleges  as  objectionable,  since  work  of 
that  kind  may  be  made  serviceable  in  instruction  and  in  giving 
employment  to  needy  students,  but  that  the  Secretary  of 
Agriculture  be  directed  to  purchase  all  seeds,  bulbs,  trees,  etc. 


256      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

etc.  which  are  to  be  distributed,  from  Experiment  Stations 
or  Agricultural  Colleges,  provided  etc.  etc.  is,  in  my  opinion, 
totally  wrong  and  preposterous.  I  have  the  honor  to  be 
Yours  very  truly,  S.  W.  Johnson. 


CHAKTKR  V'JII 

In  1S96,  Professor  Jol«n*-«  jj  ?h  ' 

tiifi  of  agricultural  cbetn»-t'      d 
retaified  the  office  of  dip 
tion,  being  relieved  of  a:^ 
dutie*    by   the   vice-dire<'f   r.    [' 
worked  in  loving  and  co 
for  so  many  years  thrt  * 
authority  caused  litti 

Wlieii,^i<Wf)fW'^t^^^^  iiq«iift0^o4q  a  moi'l 
was  no  lo!i«^^^j?f^?^^*»  a^^^^f^  .0  t*»i09O  .iM 
tion'sadnjinistratiotf,  !• 
the  institution  he  hft«*  ^ 
urgent  request  of  th- 
of  adWsinL 
a  yi-ar.  ?; 
renign; 
hioi     .' 
perio'i 
nurrov,  ; 


CHAPTER  VIII 
EMERITUS 

In  1896,  Professor  Johnson  became  professor  emeri- 
tus of  agricultural  chemistry  in  Yale  University.  He 
retained  the  oflBce  of  director  of  the  Agricultural  Sta- 
tion, being  relieved  of  all  save  literary  and  advisory 
duties  by  the  vice-director,  Dr.  Jenkins,  who  had 
worked  in  loving  and  considerate  harmony  with  him 
for  so  many  years  that  this  gradual  relinquishment  of 
authority  caused  little  sadness. 

When,  in  1900,  Professor  Johnson,  realizing  that  he 
was  no  longer  equal  even  to  his  light  share  in  the  Sta- 
tion's administration,  resigned  the  office  of  director  of 
the  institution  he  had  built  up;  he  accepted,  at  the 
urgent  request  of  the  Board  of  Control,  the  position 
of  advising  chemist  which  they  created  for  him.  After 
a  year,  however,  he  again  asked  them  to  accept  his 
resignation,  thus  severing  the  last  link  that  connected 
him  with  scientific  activities.  His  letters  of  this 
period  depict  his  philosophical  acceptance  of  the  ever- 
narrowing  environment  of  old  age : 

(S.  W.  J,  TO  A  Niece.) 

[December  1896]  Your  warm  invitation  to  cool  Saint  Paul 
I  should  be  most  happy  to  accept,  but  I  fear  he'd  cool  me! 
Then  too,  I  haven 't  any  tickets  for  the  '  *  Limited ' '  left,  in  fact 
I'm  very  limited  myself  and  can't  raise  enough  to  get  away 
from  home  unless  I  tick  it.  But  going  it  on  tick  is  expressly 
worse  than  riding  on  a  rail ! 


258      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

In  one  of  your  letters  (to  which  kindly  consider  this  to  be 
the  answer)  you  referred  to  a  meeting  of  the  "A.  A,  A.  C. 
and  E.  S."  which  it  was  hoped  might  be  held  at  St.  Paul  in 
August  last.  I  suppose  you  know  that  said  meeting  was  not 
held  there  or  anywhere  then! 

But  the  meeting  of  that  A.  A.  A.  etc.  etc.  etc.  was  held  at 
Washington  about  a  month  ago, — and  I  went  to  Washington 
and  staid  a  week,  and  thought  how  much  more  pleasant  it 
would  have  been  were  I  at  St.  Paul  having  a  good  time. 

Though  I  don't  go  at  the  ringing  of  the  bell  any  more,  and 
am  not  laboring  to  slice  information  so  thin  that  it  can  be 
passed  through  the  skull-sutures  into  the  brain  of  the  average 
young  man  who  goes  to  school,  I  have  enough  to  keep  me  busy, 
and  am  indeed  very  busy  with  the  Exp.  Station  and  with  the 
several  little  sciences  that  I  have  struggled  with  for  half  a 
century. — 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  A  Grandniece.) 

Dec.  3d,  1896. 

My  dear  Sara, — I  much  regret  that  I  have  so  long  delayed 
answering  your  very  nice  letter  written  from  your  Grand- 
mamma Easton's  house  last  summer,  a  year  ago  and  more. 
I  must  not  only  apologize  for  this  neglect,  but  must  explain 
that  I  was  very  brain-tired  when  the  letter  was  received,  and 
quite  unable  to  make  an  appreciative  answer. 

Your  question  as  to  the  comparative  brightness  of  Jupiter 
and  Venus,  you  may  very  likely  have  been  able  to  answer 
for  yourself  during  the  15  months  that  have  elapsed  since  it 
was  proposed  to  me.  Nevertheless  I  will  have  my  little  say, 
though  I  am  more  versed  in  things  terrestrial  than  in  those 
celestial  nor  have  I  seen  either  of  the  heavenly  bodies  you 
inquire  about  for  a  long  time.  But  when  I  was  a  school-boy 
I  "looked  after"  the  stars  occasionally,  very  much  as  I 
"fetched  up  the  cows"  or  "tended  the  twins,"  and  although 
all  these  varieties  of  activity  are  now  and  long  have  been  to 


EMERITUS  259 

me  as  lost  arts,  I  believe  that  I  remember  on  many  occasions 
to  have  seen  Jupiter  and  Venus  walking  out  together  of  a 
pleasant  evening  arm-in-arm  as  honest  family  folks  do,  now 
and  then,  and  just  as  Dr.  and  Mrs.  McD.  do,  I  dare  say ;  and 
I  recall  very  distinctly  that  Jupiter  looked  quite  inferior  to 
Venus,  as  I  don't  doubt  the  Dr.  is  quite  outshone  by  your 
brave  little  mamma.  To  be  sure,  both  Jupiter  and  the  Dr. 
are  larger  than  their  spouses,  but  the  latter  are  both  nearer 
the  center  of  their  respective  solar  systems,  and  both  I  sup- 
pose "keep  the  inside  track"  as  they  perambulate  the  zodiac, 
and  for  these  or  other  satisfactory  reasons,  they — Venus  and 
Lois — are  far  more  brilliant  than  any  creature  can  be  who 
goes  on  the  street  in  a  black  hat  and  tan  gloves.  Yes,  Venus 
and  her  milliner  are  a  long  way  ahead  of  Jupiter,  who  I  fear 
gets  his  clothes  secondhand,  no  matter  who  Dr.  McD's  tailor 
may  be. 

Now,  if  what  I  have  written  shows  any  competence  to  give 
information  on  matters  astronomical,  I  fear  that  your  botani- 
cal quiz  will  bury  me  out  of  sight. 

Your  second  question  is — Why  does  the  sensitive  plant  shut 
up  when  we  touch  it?  That  is  a  very  difficult  question  to 
answer  if  one  wishes  to  tell  concerning  ^'the  truth,  the  whole 
truth  and  nothing  but  the  truth."  I  can  give  a  variety  of 
answers,  e.g.  The  sensitive  plant  shuts  up  for  the  same  rea- 
son that  the  naughty  boy  doesn't  "shut  up."  It  shuts  up 
because  it  can't  help  it.  It  shuts  up  because  it  was  made  to 
shut  up !  It  shuts  up  because  it  can 't  stay  open !  I  fear  that 
you  don't  find  these  answers  satisfactory.  Now  I  \vi\\  give 
you  an  answer  that  if  not  satisfactory  to  you  will  be  perhaps 
conclusive,  and  it  will  be  a  pleasure  to  think  of  something 
besides  the  sensitive  plant.  This  sublime  answer  is,  "I  don 't 
know!"  But,  the  first  answer,  above  given,  in  which  the  sen- 
sitive plant  and  the  noisy  naughty  boy  are  classed  together, 
has  a  large  measure  (say  a  milk-panfull)  of  truth  in  it.  The 
boy  and  the  plant  have  in  all  their  live  young  parts  a  good 
supply  of  what  biologists  call  protopUism.     Now,  assemble 


260      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

your  Papa,  your  Mamma  and  all  the  Dictionary  that  has  Pr 
words  in  it,  and  get  a  working  knowledge  of  the  words  under- 
scored above.  That  done,  we  go  on  to  remark  that  protoplasm 
is  always,  everywhere  under  favorable  circumstances  sensitive, 
and  capable  of  motion  when  touched,  i.e.  when  moved,  and 
can  move  of  itself.  The  sensitive  plant  moves  when  you  move 
it,  the  boy  keeps  moving  when  the  motion  is  made  and  sec- 
onded to  stop  his  "moving,  any  more  in  that  way,  just  now!" 
The  sensitive  plant  moves  because  its  protoplasm  moves,  and 
that 's  what 's  the  matter  with  the  boy ! 

Now  you  will  ask  why  don 't  other  plants  move  ?  The  cor- 
rect answer  is  ' '  they  do  move ' ' !  But  most  common  plants 
move  much  less  quickly  and  far  less  extensively  than  the  sen- 
sitive plant  does.  Such  animals  as  live  in  a  hardshell  house 
that  they  carry  around  with  them,  like  the  turtle,  armadillo 
and  alligator,  move  much  less  noticeably  than  the  small  boy 
whose  awful  dad  has  to  build,  and  often  [repair],  the  cloth- 
houses  and  the  brick  houses  that  said  s.  b.  dwells  in  when  he 
does  not  go  a-swimming.  So  the  clothes  in  which  the  modest 
mimosa-protoplasm  is  dressed  are  much  less  snug-fitting — 
have  not  so  much  whalebone,  buckram,  leather  and  pilot  cloth 
as  coarser,  vulgar  plants  like  for  their  garments. 

There  are  many  plants  that  are  sensitive  enough  to  make 
some  slow  motion  when  touched  roughly.  One  such  plant  is 
a  common  "weed"  about  New  Haven,  with  handsome  yellow 
flowers  and  leaves  very  like  those  of  the  "sensitive  plant" 
you  have  asked  about.  Many — perhaps  most,  plants  when 
seen  under  a  microscope  are  found  to  have  visible  motions 
going  on,  in  their  insides,  somewhere,  especially  in  the  young 
parts  where  they  are  not  too  "hide  bound."  The  sensitive 
plant,  like  the  irrepressible  boy,  becomes  less  sensitive  as  it 
grows  old.  The  boy,  you  know,  when  he  gets  to  90  or  100  years 
old  isn't  more  sensitive  than  a  burdock  or  a  pumpkin. 

In  the  sensitive  plant  the  leaves  are  arranged  like  this 
sketch,  where  a  shows  the  untouched  and  h  the  touched  leaves. 
From  c  I  have  drawn  a  line  to  the  point  where  the  four  leaves 


EMERITUS 


261 


d,  e,  f,  and  g  are  joined  to  the  main  leafstalk,  5;  at  that  join 
the  four  leaflet  stalks  (of  d,  e,  f  and  g)  are  enlarged  to  a  sort 
of  cushion  and  if  this  cushion  is  touched  gently  on  the  under 
side,  the  leaflet,  either  one  of  the  four  primary  (Dictionary: 
primus:  prime  both  of  us!)  or  any  of  the  many  secondary 
ones,  will  move,  but  the  same  kind  of  touch  on  the  upper  side 
will  not  cause  movement.  It's  just  the  reverse  with  the  boy. 
Touch  him  gently  (with  a  pin's  point  on  the  under  side)  and 
he  will  jump.  I  know  it  for  I've  tried  it  and  had  it  tried  on, 
on  the  contrary,  rap  him  on  the  noddle  and  his  backbone  will 
stiffen  and  all  the  mule  in  him  will  come  to  the  front ! 


Now,  my  dear  Sara,  behold  how  long  a  letter  I  have  written 
you  with  my  own  hand,  as  St.  Paul  says,  and  how  much  better 
I  should  feel  and  be  if  I  wrote  many  long  letters  to  nice  young 
ladies,  but  it's  rather  late  in  life  to  begin  now,  and  I  shall  be 
obliged  to  cut  this  short  or  buy  more  paper ! — 


(S.  W.  J.  TO  E.  E.  J.) 

Gray  Birches,  Holdemess,  June  2d,  1906. 

Dear  Elizabeth, — I  take  pleasure  in  informing  you  that 
and  I  are  very  comfortable,  having  passed  through 


a  long  East-wind  storm  of  rain  and  cold,  and  come  out  into 


262      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

sunshine  and  a  new  green  world  of  beauty  and  bird  music. 
...  I  have  been  busy  as  a  bee  "doing  stunts."  Am  now 
fixing  the  screens  on  Tom's  balcony  window,  and  have  looked 
at  small  nails  in  the  sunshine  until  I  can  hardly  see  the  letters 
I  am  now  making.  ...  I  have  just  returned  from  accompany- 
ing Fred  and  Mary  to  Ashland  on  their  way  to  New  York. 
They  reached  Gray  Birches  Sat.  night  at  10  o'clock.  .  .  .  We 
had  a  very  pleasant  quiet  visit.  ...  In  the  afternoon  Fred 
and  I  walked  down  my  path  to  the  lake.  We  inspected  all  the 
4  houses  (bath  and  boat)  on  our  beach,  and  walked  back  by 
the  easy  public  road. 

We  found  the  purple  lady 's-slipper  (or  moccasin  flower) 
growing  near  the  Bunce  cottage  and  in  bloom,  also  abundance 
of  the  Polygala  paucifolia  in  the  lower  woods.  I  boxed  3 
lady 's-slipper  plants  for  Mary  to  carry  home  and  cultivate. 
She  had  never  seen  it  before.  .  .  .  With  love  to  the  home 
friends  in  54  and  52.    Yours,  S.  W.  J. 

(Original  Draft  of  a  Letter  to  the  Trustees  and 
Faculty  of  Lowville  Academy.) 

June  19,  1908. 

Gentlemen, — Your  very  kind  invitation  to  attend  the  Cen- 
tennial Celebration  of  the  Academy  under  your  charge  was 
duly  received,  and  I  have  delayed  my  answer  in  the  hope  that 
I  might  find  it  possible  to  be  with  you  on  that  occasion.  .  .  . 
Were  I  20  years  younger  I  should  not  hesitate  to  take  a  night 
train  for  Lowville,  but  the  family  council  vetoes  such  an 
undertaking,  and  I  most  regretfully  feel  compelled  to  forego 
the  pleasure  of  enjoying  your  Centennial  festivities  and 
solemnities.  My  life-companion,  whose  name,  as  Miss  E.  E. 
Blinn,  closes  the  list  of  preceptresses,  given  on  page  76  of  the 
volume  entitled  "Lowville  Academy  Semi-Centennial, "  and 
who  filled  that  position  for  4  years  (instead  of  1  year,  as  stated 
in  Dr.  Hough's  historical  address,  p.  76),  desires  to  be  remem- 
bered to  any  of  her  students  or  acquaintances  of  the  old  days, 


EMERITUS  263 

who  may  be  present  with  you  at  your  celebration  of  the 
completion  of  a  full  century  of  academic  achievement. 

I  have  a  strong  affection  for  your  Academy  and  for  the 
pleasant  village  where  I  spent  the  larger  part  of  six  school- 
years  (1840-1846)  under  the  direct  supervision  of  Mayhew, 
Norton,  and  Moore,  all  thorough  scholars,  inspiring  teachers, 
in  every  way  most  friendly,  most  helpful,  most  exemplary, 
most  companionable. 

The  class-rooms  where  they  taught  always  were  pleasant 
places  when  lighted  up  by  their  cheerful  presence,  and  the 
atmosphere  that  environed  them  seemed  full  of  generous  and 
sympathetic  goodness.  Those  class-rooms  not  infrequently 
became  places  of  entertainment,  and  the  strain  of  closely  fol- 
lowing the  rigid  demonstrations  of  logic  or  mathematics,  or 
of  compelling  some  idiom  of  a  dead  language  to  resuscitate, 
was  relieved  by  a  flash  of  wit  or  a  thrust  of  sarcasm  that  may 
have  stung  slightly,  but  deservedly,  and  made  a  sensation  that 
delighted  the  entire  town  of  Lowville. 

Wishing  for  you  a  most  agreeable  and  profitable  celebra- 
tion, and  for  the  Lowville  Academy  perennial  endurance  and 
ever-growing  prosperity,  I  am.  Very  sincerely  yours, 

S.  W.  Johnson. 

Books  accumulated  during  sixty  years  filled  to  over- 
flowing three  rooms  of  his  dwelling.  When  impaired 
vision  precluded  further  serious  work,  Professor  John- 
son dismantled  his  library.  He  sent  an  unusual  col- 
lection of  old  agricultural  books  and  journals  as  a  gift 
to  the  Connecticut  Station.  While  director  he  had 
completed  the  station's  files  of  State  and  Federal  pub- 
lications on  agriculture ;  in  the  years  immediately  fol- 
lowing his  retirement  he  assembled  a  nearly  complete 
duplicate  set.  This  he  now  gave  to  the  Yale  University 
Library.  A  large  number  of  scientific  journals  on  his 
shelves  was  added  to  the  library  of  his  son-in-law. 


264      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Having  thus  placed  the  books  that  seemed  to  be  so 
absolutely  a  part  of  his  own  life  where  they  would  still 
be  in  daily  use,  he  divided  his  time  between  his  car- 
penter shop  and  his  study,  still  book-lined,  where  he 
followed  certain  lines  of  research  in  the  current  jour- 
nals and  enjoyed  the  daily  discussions  held  on  the 
progress  of  the  work  on  plant-proteins  going  on  in  the 
laboratory  of  the  Connecticut  Station.  He  still  read  to 
some  extent,  current  literature  often,  but  most  often 
such  books  as  Thomson's  ''History  of  Chemistry," 
Liebig  and  Wohler's  "  Brief wechsel"  and  Storer's 
' '  Agriculture. ' '  The  ' '  Oxford  Book  of  English  Verse ' ' 
was  never  far  from  his  hand;  most  heartily  enjoyed 
were  ''Prayers,  Ancient  and  Modern"  and  a  thin  white 
volume  that  bore  the  name  of ' '  Fiona  Macleod. ' '  While 
apparently  absorbed  in  these  diversions,  he  neverthe- 
less always  laid  down  his  book  with  alacrity  to  answer 
patiently  and  clearly  the  many  questions  brought  to 
him  concerning  the  history  of  science  and  problems 
presented  in  the  development  of  Modern  Chemistry,  the 
birth  and  growth  of  which  had  been  so  nearly  coinci- 
dent with  his  own  professional  life. 

Attacks  of  pneumonia,  in  1906  and  1907,  left  him 
very  frail.  He  accompanied  the  family  to  New  Hamp- 
shire in  the  summer  of  1908 ;  in  June,  1909,  he  decided 
to  remain  quietly  in  New  Haven,  planning  for  his 
summer's  amusement  field  experiments  that  he  had 
"never  before  had  the  time  to  undertake."  He  also 
set  in  order  and  refitted  his  private  laboratory ;  where 
he  undertook  to  isolate  the  citric  acid  which  a  German 
chemist,  some  years  before,  had  reported  to  be  present 
in  milk — an  observation  that  up  to  that  time  had  not 
been  confirmed. 


EMERITUS  265 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  L.  F.  E.) 

New  Haven,  July  5th,  1909. 

My  dear  Fred, — Last  week  Tuesday  your  Aunt  Elizabeth 
and  Lily  with  ^liss  R.,  a  trained  nurse,  took  night  train  at 
10  P.M.  and  reached  Ashland  at  8  A.M.  Wed'y  morning. 
Tom  and  the  cook  followed  on  Friday. 

They  write  that  the  journey  was  comfortable  and  they  are 
enjoying  the  top  of  Shepard  Hill  very  much.  I  am  staying 
here  and  feel  like  continuing  to  stay.  The  rest  are  booked 
to  go  to  Holderness  on  the  8th.  Tom  will  return  soon  and 
be  here  most  of  July.  Your  aunt  and  I  are  getting  well  along 
on  the  back  track;  2d  childhood  and  renewed  babyhood  are 
making  both  of  us  amusing  to  ' '  the  rising  generations. ' '  But 
I  have  one  compensation.  The  thermometer  at  80°  just  suits 
my  feelings,  and  I  can  slosh  around  on  New  Haven's  dead 
levels  much  better  than  I  can  get  over  the  rocky  hills  of  the 
old  Granny  State,  and  I  can  now  look  back  on  my  4108  weeks 
of  experience  of  this  wicked  World  with  the  comfortable  reflec- 
tion that  I  have  not  much  longer  to  trouble  it  or  be  troubled 
with  it.  .  .  . 

(S.  W.  J.  TO  E.  E.  J.) 

July  10,  1909. 

Dear  Elizabeth, —  ...  I  have  got  into  very  old  clothes,  and 
am  running  the  shop  on  full  time  and  getting  up  my  muscle. 
I  have  kept  the  grapes  in  good  shape,  and  shall  begin  bagging 
the  clusters  this  P.M.  I  am  trying  to  put  my  3  rooms  into 
manageable  condition — so  that  I  can  find  what  I  want  and 
can't  find  the  rubbish  which  has  nearly  swamped  the  furni- 
ture, floors  and  chairs. 

Say  to  Miss  R.  that  I  hope  she  will  gradually  aid  to  develop 
your  (and  her)  muscle, — that  I  shall  hear  of  your  going  down 
to  the  Lake  and  up  Shepard  Hill  back  again  on  foot  at  least 
once  daily.    Bye  Bye,  S.  W.  J. 


266      LETTER-FILES  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Professor  Johnson  was  prostrated  by  a  severe 
attack  of  angina  pectoris  on  July  13,  and  passed  peace- 
fully away  on  July  21,  1909,  his  mind  occupied  almost 
to  the  last  moment  with  interesting  problems  of  the 
noble  science  with  which  in  boyhood  he  had  linked  his 
fortunes. 


A  fitting  close  is  the  recorded  estimate  of  pupils  who 
are  today  his  successors  in  the  work: 

' '  An  ardent  enthusiast  in  research  work.  He  was  so  modest 
and  unassuming  that  he  frequently  did  not  get  credit  for 
what  he  really  was.  He  did  not  seem  to  feel  that  he  was 
blazing  a  trail  in  experiment  station  work  in  this  country, 
although  such  was  really  the  case. ' ' 

"He  not  only  inspired  an  interest  in  the  problems  of  agri- 
cultural science,  but  by  the  example  of  his  own  work  fur- 
nished an  ideal  of  true  scientific  research  which  has  been  a 
standard  ever  since." 

' '  The  Agricultural  Stations  of  the  country  will  be  the  ever- 
lasting memorial  of  his  services.  .  .  .  His  life  rounded  to  its 
close,  with  a  great  service  done  to  his  state  and  country  and 
done  quietly  without  observation,  just  as  a  tree  ripens  its 
fruit." 


APPENDICES 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON 

Books 

Translated:  The  Relations  of  Chemistry  to  Agriculture  and 
the  Agricultural  Experiments  of  Mr.  J.  B.  Lawes.  By- 
Justus  Von  Liebig.    Albany,  1855,  12°,  87  pp. 

Essays  on  Peat,  Muck,  and  Commercial  Manures.  (Com- 
prising First  and  Second  Annual  Reports  to  Conn.  State 
Agric.  Soc.)   Hartford,  1859,  8°,  178  pp. 

Edited:  Manual  of  Qualitative  Chemical  Analysis,  by  Dr.  C. 
Remigius  Fresenius,  from  the  last  English  and  German 
Editions.  New  York,  1864,  8°,  xi  +  434  pp.  2d  ed., 
translated  into  the  "New  System"  and  newly  edited, 
1875,  xiii  -f  438  pp.    3d  ed.,  1883,  xvi  +  500  pp. 

Peat  and  its  Uses  as  Fertilizer  and  Fuel.  New  York,  1866, 
12°,  168  pp. 

How  Crops  Grow.  A  Treatise  on  the  Chemical  Composition, 
Structure  and  Life  of  the  Plant.  New  York,  1868,  12°, 
394  pp.  Revised  with  numerous  additions  and  adapted 
to  English  use  by  Arthur  Herbert  Church,  M.  A.,  and 
William  T.  Thistelton  Dyer,  B.  A.,  Professors  at  Royal 
Agricultural  College,  Cirencester,  Eng.,  London,  1869, 
12°,  xvi  +  399  pp. ;  Translated  into  German  by  Her- 
mann von  Liebig  with  a  preface  by  Justus  von  Liebig, 
Braunschweig,  1871,  8°,  xvi  +  460  pp. ;  Translated  into 
Russian  (from  the  German)  by  N.  K.  Timashev,  St. 
Petersburg,  1873,  8°,  vi  +  viii  +  403  pp.,  and  by  la.  N. 
Kalinovski,  Moscow,  1875,  8°,  viii  +  412  II  pp.;  Trans- 
lated into  Swedish  by  Dr.  C.  E.  Bergstrand,  Stockholm, 
1874,  8°,  X  +  258  pp.;  Translated  into  Italian  (from  the 
English  edition)  by  Italo  Giglioli,  Milan,  1878,  12°, 
xxiii  -|-  455  pp. ;  Translated  into  Japanese  by  C.  Ouchi 
and  H.  Imai,  and  revised  by  S.  Sugiura,  F.  C.  S.,  with  an 


270  APPENDICES 

introduction  by  Viscount  Shinagawa.  Part  I,  Tokio, 
1883,  12°,  iv  +  ix  +  iii  +  xxii  +  451  pp.,  Parts  II  and 
III  in  one  vol.,  Tokio,  1885,  296  -|-  45  -|-  3  pp. ;  also  trans- 
lated into  French.  Revised  and  enlarged  ed.  (American), 
New  York,  1891,  12°,  vi  +  416  pp. 

Edited:  A  System  of  Instruction  in  Quantitative  Chemical 
Analysis,  by  Dr.  C.  Remigius  Fresenius,  from  the  last 
English  and  German  editions.  New  York,  1870,  8°, 
XXV  +  630  pp. 

How  Crops  Feed.  A  Treatise  on  the  Atmosphere  and  the 
Soil  as  related  to  the  Nutrition  of  Agricultural  Plants. 
New  York,  1870,  12°,  375  pp.  Translated  into  German 
(with  notes)  by  Hermann  von  Liebig,  Braunschweig, 
1872,  8°,  454  pp. ;  Translated  into  Swedish  under 
general  title  with  ''How  Crops  Grow,"  1874,  vi  +  275 
pp. ;  Translated  into  Russian  (from  the  German)  by  la. 
N.  Kalinovski,  Moscow,  1877,  8°,  xix  +  414  pp.;  Trans- 
lated into  Japanese,  Tokio,  1884. 


Contributions  to  Journals. 

Scientific. 

On  Fixing  Ammonia.     Cultivator,  1847,  new  series,  vol.  4, 

pp.  240-241. 
Analyses  of  Limestone.    Ibid.,  1849,  vol.  6,  pp.  187-188. 
On  the  Discovery  of  Sulphuret  of  Nickel  in  Northern  New 

York.    Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  1850,  (2),  vol.  9,  pp.  287-288. 
On  the  Houghite  of  Prof.  Shepherd.    Ibid.,  1851,  (2),  vol.  12, 

pp.  361-365. 
Ueber  den  Houghit  des  Prof.  Shepherd.    Jour.  Prakt.  Chem., 

1852,  vol.  55,  pp.  123-124. 
Ueber  das  Zweifach  schleimsaure  Amyloxyd.    Ibid.,  1855,  vol. 

64,  pp.  157-159. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON     271 

Ueber    die    schleimsauren    Salze    der    Alkalien.      Liebig's 

Annalen,  1855,  vol.  94,  pp.  224-230. 
Chemische     Untersuchung     verschiedener     Pflanzenaschen, 

Bodenarten  und   Gewasser.      (Johnson  and  Sendtner.) 

Ibid.,  vol.  95,  pp.  226-242. 
Examination  of  Two  Sugars  (Panoche  and  Pine  Sugar)  from 

California.    Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  1856,  (2),  vol.  22,  pp.  6-8. 
On  Some  Points  of  Agricultural  Science.     Ibid.,  1859,   (2), 

vol.  28,  pp.  71-85. 
Observations  on  Chancel's  Method  of  Estimating  Phosphoric 

Acid.    Ibid.,  1861,  (2),  vol.  31,  pp.  281-283. 
On  the  Soil- Analyses  of  the  Geological  Surveys  of  Kentucky 

and  Arkansas.    Ibid.,  vol.  32,  pp.  233-254. 
On  the  Equivalent  and  Spectrum  of  Caesium.     (Johnson  and 

Allen.)     Ibid.,  1863,  (2),  vol.  35,  pp.  94-98. 
On  the  Occurrence  of  Silica  in  the  Higher  Plants.    Ibid.,  pp. 

124-126. 
Alkalimetry.    Ibid.,  pp.  279-283. 
On  the  Solubility  of  Sulphate  of  Lime  in  Chlorhydric  Acid. 

Ibid.,  p.  283. 
Note  on  the  Composition  of  Soils.    Ibid.,  pp.  292-293. 
The  Nitrogen  Question.    Ibid.,  p.  426. 
On  Caesium,  Separation  from  Rubidium.     Ibid.,  vol.  36,  pp 

413-415. 
The  Characteristics  of  Thallium.     Ibid.,  1864,   (2),  vol.  37 

pp.  121-122. 
On  the  Assimilation  of  Complex  Nitrogenous  Bodies  by  Vege 

tation.    Ibid.,  1866,  (2),  vol.  41,  pp.  27-30. 
On  Native  Crystallized  Terpin.    Ibid.,  1867,  (2),  vol.  43,  pp 

200-201. 
On  Kaolinite  and  Pholerite.     (Johnson  and  Blake.)     Ibid. 

pp.  351-361 ;  pp.  405-406. 
On  Nitrification.    Ibid.,  1869,  (2),  vol.  47,  pp.  235-242. 
On  the  Estimation  of  Carbonic  Acid.     Ibid.,  vol.  48,  pp.  Ill- 

114. 


272  APPENDICES 

Chemical  Notation  and  Nomenclature  old  and  new.     Amer. 

Chem.,  1870,  new  series,  vol.  1,  pp.  300-302. 
Seaweed  as  a  Fertilizer.    Ibid.,  1872,  vol.  2,  pp.  297-298. 
On  the  Estimation  of  Nitrogen.    Ibid.,  vol.  3,  pp.  161-162. 
Ueber  die  Bestimmung  des   Stickstoffs.     Liebig's  Annalen, 

1873,  vol.  169,  pp.  69-74. 

Leached  Wood  Ashes.    Amer.  Chem.,  1873,  vol.  4,  pp.  92-93. 

Potash  Salts.    Ibid.,  p.  132. 

Low-Meadow  Hay.    Ibid.,  p.  179. 

Brewers'  Refuse  Barley  Grains.    Ibid.,  pp.  179-180. 

On  the  Use  of  Potassium  Bichromate  in  Ultimate  Organic 

Analysis.     Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  1874,   (3),  vol.  7,  pp.  465- 

468. 

Three  Papers,  read  before  Amer.  Asso.  Adv.  Sci.,  1874. 
I.  Estimation  of  Nitrogen  by  the  Absolute  Method. 
•  II.  Estimation  of  Nitric  Acid  by  the  Methods  of  Thorpe 
and  Bunsen.  III.  On  the  Alleged  Formation  of  Ammo- 
nium Nitrate  from  Water  Vapor  and  Nitrogen  Gas  and 
on  Price 's  Test.  Printed  by  title,  Proc.  Amer.  Asso.  Adv. 
Sci.,  1874,  pp.  145-146. 

Five  Papers,  read  before  Amer.  Asso.  Adv.  Sci.,  1875.  I.  On 
Otto's  Method  of  Estimating  Phosphoric  Acid  in  Pres- 
ence of  Iron  and  Aluminum.  II.  Apparatus  for  Fat- 
Extraction.  III.  Composition  of  Com  Fodder  and  Yield 
per  Acre.  IV.  Composition  of  the  Sweet  Potato.  V.  On 
Thorpe's  Method  of  Estimating  Nitric  Acid.  Printed  by 
title.  Ibid.,  1875,  p.  122. 

Apparatus  for  Quantitative  Fat-Extraction.  The  Composi- 
tion of  the  Sweet  Potato.  The  Composition  of  Maize 
Fodder.    Amer.  Jour.  Sci.,  1877,  (3),  vol.  13,  pp.  196-207. 

On  Thorpe  and  Bunsen 's  Methods  for  the  Estimation  of 
Nitrogen  in  Nitrates.    Ibid.,  pp.  260-262. 

On  Schweitzer's  New  Acid  Ammonium  Sulphates.  (Johnson 
and  Chittenden.)     Ibid.,  1878,  (3),  vol.  15,  pp.  131-134. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON     273 

Experiments  on  the  Relations  of  Soils  to  Water,  Capillary- 
transmission  and  evaporation.  (Johnson  and  Armsby.) 
Ann.  Rep't  Conn.  Agric.  Exper.  Sta.,  for  1878,  1879,  pp. 
83-102. 

Determination  of  Nitrogen  in  the  Analysis  of  Agricultural 
Products.  (Johnson  and  Jenkins.)  Amer.  Chem.  Jour., 
1879,  vol.  1,  pp.  77-84. 

On  a  Method  for  the  Determination  of  Phosphoric  Acid. 
(Johnson  and  Jenkins.)    Ibid.,  pp.  84-86. 

On  the  Determination  of  Nitrogen.  (Johnson  and  Jenkins.) 
Ibid.,  1880,  vol.  2,  pp.  27-34. 

On  the  Distribution  of  Arsenic  in  the  Human  Body  in  a  Case 
of  Arsenical  Poisoning.  (Johnson  and  Chittenden.) 
Ibid.,  pp.  332-337. 

On  the  Determination  of  Nitrogen  in  Organic  Bodies.  (John- 
son and  Jenkins.)  Zeitschr.  Anal.  Chem.,  1883,  vol.  21, 
p.  274. 

On  the  Determination  of  Nitrogen  by  Combustion  with  Cal- 
cium Hydroxide.  Amer.  Chem.  Jour.,  1884,  vol.  6,  pp. 
60-63. 

Laboratory  Apparatus.  A  hydrogen  generator.  (Johnson 
and  Osborne.)  Jour.  Anal.  Chem.,  1890,  vol.  4,  pp.  169- 
172. 

Laboratory  Apparatus.    A  gas  desiccator.    Ibid.,  pp.  172-175. 

Laboratory  Apparatus.  Apparatus  for  determining  Nitrogen 
by  the  method  of  Kjeldahl.     Ibid.,  pp.  179-184. 

Laboratory  Apparatus.  A  drying  oven  for  forage  samples. 
(Jenkins  and  Johnson.)     Ibid.,  184-188. 

The  Determination  of  Phosphoric  Acid  in  Fertilizers  by  the 
Citrate  Method.  (Johnson  and  Osborne.)  Ann.  Rep't. 
Conn.  Agric.  Exper.  Sta.,  for  1889,  1890,  pp.  254-267. 

Educational. 

Agricultural  Education.  Cultivator,  1852,  new  series,  vol.  9, 
pp.  267-268. 


274  APPENDICES 

Agricultural  Charlatanry.    Country  Gentleman,  1853,  vol.  1, 

pp.  43-44. 
Superphosphate  of  Lime.    Ibid.,  pp.  130-131. 
What  is  Science  ?    Ibid.,  pp.  248-249 ;  pp.  265-266 ;  p.  283. 
Food  of  Plants.    Ibid.,  pp.  273-274. 

Contributions  of  Science  to  Agriculture.    Ibid.,  pp.  298-299. 
Saxon  Agriculture.    Ibid.,  1854,  vol.  3,  pp.  165-166. 
The  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  at  Moeckern.    Ibid.,  pp. 

261-262. 
Nitrogen.    Ibid.,  pp.  373-374. 

On  the  Practical  Value  of  the  Analyses  of  Soils.     Ibid., 

vol.  4,  pp.  5-6. 
Treatment,  Value  and  Application  of  Manures.     Translated 

from  the  German  of  Prof.  Wolff,  with  introductory  note. 

Ibid.,  pp.  68-69 ;  p.  148 ;  pp.  229-230. 

Some  Results,  Important  in  Agricultural  Practice,  Concern- 
ing the  Feeding  of  Animals,  obtained  at  the  Agricultural 
Experiment  Station  at  Moeckern.  Translated  with  notes. 
Ibid.,  pp.  101-102. 

Influence  of  Ammonia  on  Vegetation.  Translated  from  the 
French  of  Ville  with  notes.    Ibid.,  pp.  213-214. 

On  the  Practical  Value  of  the  Analyses  of  Plants.  Ibid.,  pp. 
293-294. 

Industrial  Exhibition  at  Munich,  Bavarian  Agriculture. 
Food  and  Habits  of  the  Bavarian  People.  Ibid.,  pp.  309- 
310. 

Theory  and  Practice.  Agricultural  Science  and  Scientific 
Agriculture.    Ibid.,  1855,  vol.  5,  p.  284 ;  pp.  300-301. 

The  Agriculture  of  Wiirttemberg  and  the  Agricultural  Acad- 
emy at  Hohenheim.     Ibid.,  p.  333. 

On  the  Agricultural  Value  of  Gypsum.  Ibid.,  p.  374,  and  vol. 
6,  pp.  26-27. 

Remarks  on  a  "Note"  of  Prof,  von  Liebig.  Ibid.,  vol.  6, 
pp.  74-75. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON     275 

Show  of  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  at  Carlisle,  England. 

Country  Gentleman,  1855,  vol.  6,  pp.  109-123. 
Heidelberg ;  Rape,  its  culture  and  use ;  Beet  Sugar,  etc.    Ibid., 

p.  138. 
Relations   of    Chemistry    to    Agriculture.      Translated    and 

abridged  from  the  German  of  J.  von  Liebig.    Ibid.,  pp. 

233-234;  pp.  250-251;  p.  267;  pp.  283-289. 
On  the  Relations  that  Exist  between  Science  and  Agriculture. 

Trans.  N.  Y.  State  Agric.  Soc,  1855,  vol.  15,  pp.  73-95. 
Agricultural  Education.    Teaching  Practice.  Country  Gentle- 
man, 1856,  vol.  7,  pp.  49-50. 
Agricultural  Education.    Teaching  Science.    Ibid.,  pp.  64-65, 
Gas  Lime  for  Agricultural  Purposes.    Ibid.,  p.  201. 
Agricultural  Education.    Agricultural  Science.    Ibid.,  p.  193 

pp.  210-211. 
Teaching  Agricultural  Practice.    Homestead,  1856,  vol.  1,  pp 

373-374. 
On  the  Value  of  Certain  High-Priced  Fertilizers.     Ibid.,  pp 

562-564. 
On  the  Composition  and  Value  of  Several  Guanos.    Ibid.,  pp 

581-582. 
On  the  Composition  and  Value  of  Poudrette  and  Ta  Feu 

Ibid.,  pp.  613-615. 
Agricultural   Education.     Scientific   Agriculture.      Country 

Gentleman,  1856,  vol.  7,  p.  401. 
On  Superphosphate  of  Lime.     Homestead,  1856,  vol.  1,  pp. 

677-680. 
On  Fish  Manures.    Ibid.,  pp.  709-711. 
On  Fish  Manures.    Country  Gentleman,  1856,  vol.  8,  pp.  43- 

44. 
Agricultural    Education,    Means    of    Practical    Instruction. 

Ibid.,  pp.  241-242. 
On  Superphosphate  of  Lime.    Ibid.,  p.  250. 
Agricultural  Education.     The  Farm  School.     Ibid.,  pp.  305- 

306. 
Two  Hours  on  an  English  Farm.    Ibid.,  pp.  330-331. 


276  APPENDICES 

Essay  on  the  Physical  Properties  of  the  Soil  as  Affecting 
Fertility.  Trans.  N.  Y.  State  Agric.  Soc,  1856,  vol.  16, 
pp.  101-124. 

Frauds  in  Commercial  Manures.     Trans.  Conn.  State  Agric. 

Soc.  for  1856,  1857,  pp.  165-187. 
Theory  of  the  Application  of  Stable  or  Yard  Manure.    Coun- 
try Gentleman,  1857,  vol.  9,  pp.  9-10. 
Theory  of  the  Management  and  Application  of  Bam  Yard 

Manure.    Ibid.,  pp.  185-186. 
Notices   from   Foreign   Agricultural   Journals.      Translated 

with  a  note.    Ibid.,  p.  275 ;  p.  349. 
Stable  Manure.     Dr.  Voelcker's  Investigations.      Ibid.,  pp. 

329-330;  pp.  377-378. 
Poisonous  Paper-Hangings.    Homestead,  1857,  vol.  2,  p.  627. 
The  Manure  Question.    Preservation  by  means  of  Gypsum,  in 

Switzerland.    Country  Gentleman,  1857,  vol.  10,  pp.  9-10. 
The  Microscope,  and  American  Microscopes.    Ibid.,  49-50. 
Nitrogen  and  Phosphate  of  Lime.  Translated  from  the  French 

of  Boussingault  with  remarks.    Ibid.,  pp.  122-123 ;  p.  138. 
Notices  from  Foreign  Agricultural  Journals.    Ibid.,  p.  170. 
On  the  Nutrition  of  Plants.    Ibid.,  pp.  185-186. 
Does  the  Soil  Need  Nitrogen  Added?    Ibid.,  pp.  217-218. 
On  the  Use  of  Salt  in  Potato  Culture.    Ibid.,  pp.  377-378. 
Agricultural  Chemistry.    New  Amer.  Cyclopaedia,  1858,  vol. 

1,  pp.  210-218. 
Phosphatic  Guano,    Country  Gentleman,  1858,  vol.  11,  pp.  9- 

10;  p.  26. 
Spiritualism  Tested  by  Science.    New  Englander,  1858,  vol.  16, 

pp.  225-270. 
American  Guano;  Experience.    Homestead,  1859,  vol.  4,  pp. 

603-604. 
Review  of  Baron  von  Liebig's  Letters  on  Modem  Agriculture. 

Country  Gentleman,  1859,  vol.  14,  pp.  137-138;  pp.  153- 

154;  pp.  201-202;  pp.  361-362;  pp.  377-378. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON     277 

Experimental  Study  of  the  Use  of  Salt  as  a  Fertilizer. 
Appendix  to:  Outlines  of  first  course  of  Yale  Agricul- 
tural Lectures,  by  H.  S.  Olcott.  New  York,  1860,  pp. 
181-186. 

Lectures  on  Agricultural  Chemistry.  (Delivered  at  the 
Smithsonian  Institution  in  1859.)  14th  Ann.  Rep't 
Board  Regents  Smithsonian  Institution,  1860,  pp.  119- 
194. 

System  in  Weights  and  Measures.  Homestead,  1860,  vol.  5, 
p.  38. 

The  Guano  of  the  South  Pacific.  Translated  from  the  French 
of  Boussingault,  with  introductory  note.  Country  Gentle- 
man, 1861,  vol.  17,  p.  281 ;  pp.  298-299 ;  p.  317. 

Baron  von  Liebig,  on  the  Action  of  Peruvian  Guano.  Trans- 
lated with  remarks.    Ibid.,  vol.  18,  pp.  106-107. 

Influence  of  Atmospheric  Pressure  on  Drainage.  Translated 
from  the  French  of  Risler.    Ibid.,  p.  170. 

On  the  Conditions  of  Germination.  Ibid.,  1862,  vol.  19,  pp. 
153-154. 

Lodi  Poudrette.    Ibid.,  pp.  282-283. 

A  Scientific  View  of  "The  Progression  of  Primaries."  Ibid., 
vol.  20,  pp.  361-362. 

The  True  Cause  of  the  Potato  Disease.     Ibid.,  1863,  vol.  21, 

pp.  57-58;  pp.  217-218;  pp.  249-250;  pp.  361-362. 
On  the  Absorbent  Power  of  the  Soil  for  Water-Vapor.    Ibid., 

vol.  22,  pp.  26-27. 
On  Liebig's  Natural  Laws  of  Husbandry.    Ibid.,  pp.  185-186; 

pp.  250-251 ;  pp.  346-347 ;  pp.  361-362. 
Recent  Investigations  Concerning  the  Sources  and  Supply  of 

Nitrogen  to  Crops.     1st  Ann.  Rep't  Sec.  Conn.  State 

Board  Agric,  for  1866,  1867,  pp.  30-54. 
What  is  Clay  1    Country  Gentleman,  1867,  vol.  29,  p.  253. 
Salt  as  a  Fertilizer.    Ibid.,  vol.  30,  p.  250. 
Concerning  Clay  and  Another  Thing.     Ibid.,  pp.  410-411. 


278  APPENDICES 

Lime  on  Hill  Pastures.    Hearth  and  Home,  1868-1869,  vol.  1, 

p.  2  and  pp.  18-19. 
The  Nutritive  Value  of  Grasses  and  Green  Fodder,  as  Indi- 
cated by  Chemical  Analysis  and  Feeding  Trials.    3d  Ann. 

Kep't  Sec.  Conn.  State  Board  Agric,  for  1868,  1869,  pp. 

48-56. 
Report  on  Commercial  Fertilizers.    Ibid.,  pp.  208-226. 
A  New  Chapter  of  Agricultural  Science.    Hearth  and  Home, 

1869,  vol.  1,  p.  130 ;  pp.  146-147. 
Manures.    Ibid.,  p.  274;  pp.  290-291. 
Mixing  Lime  with  Manure.     Ibid.,  p.  418. 
Tin  Lined  Pipes.    Ibid.,  p.  691. 
Coal  Ashes.    Ibid.,  1870,  vol.  2,  pp.  210-211. 
Chemistry  of  Plants.     Country  Gentleman,  1870,  vol.  35,  p. 

563. 
Soil  Exhaustion  and  Rotation  in  Crops.    5th  Ann.  Rep 't  Sec. 

Conn.  State  Board  Agric.  for  1871,  1872,  pp.  75-99 ;  pp. 

147-172. 
Agricultural  Experiment  Stations  of  Europe.    7th  Ann.  Rep 't 

Sec.  Conn.  State  Board  Agric,  for  1873,  1874,  pp.  92-99. 
Guiding  Ideas  in  the  Use  of  Fertilizers.    Ibid.,  pp.  167-190. 
Agricultural  Chemistry.     Johnson's  New  Univ.  Cyclopaedia, 

1875,  vol.  1,  pp.  60-62. 
The  Agricultural  Experiment  Stations  of  Europe.    10th  Ann. 

Rep't  Sheff.  Sci.  Sch.,  Yale  Col.,  for  1874-1875,  pp.  12-31. 
Silica  in  Plant  Growth.     Country  Gentleman,  1877,  vol.  42, 

p.  391. 
The  Composition  of  Maize  Fodder.     (Revised.)     Ibid.,  p.  711. 
On  the  Reasons  for  Tillage.     11th  Ann.  Rep't  Sec.  Conn. 

State  Board  Agric,  for  1877,  1878,  pp.  133-160. 
Wood  Ashes  and  Lime  as  Fertilizers.     Country  Gentleman, 

1878,  vol.  43,  p.  336. 
On  a  New  Crop-Grower.    Ibid.,  p.  435. 
On  the  Value  of  Wood  Ashes.    Ibid.,  p.  515. 
Bones  as  a  Fertilizer  for  Corn.    Ibid.,  p.  627. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  S.  W.  JOHNSON     279 

Wood  Ashes  and  Their  Value.     Country  Gentleman,  1878, 

vol.  43,  p.  643. 
Temperature  of  the  Soil,  Fall  of  Dew.     Ibid.,  1879,  vol.  44, 

p.  99. 
Fertilizing  Value  of  Cattle  Food.    Ibid.,  p.  435. 
Fertilizers  for  Strawberries.    Ibid.,  pp.  470-471,  and  p.  518. 
Animal  Charcoal.    Ibid.,  p.  680. 

Fodder  Corn  and  Ensilage.    Ibid.,  1880,  vol.  45,  p.  419. 
Adulteration  of  Foods.    Good  Company,  1880,  vol.  5,  no.  12, 

pp.  546-560. 
Analyses  of  Ashes.    Country  Gentleman,  1881,  vol.  46,  p.  52. 
Systematic  Education  for  the  American  Farmer.    14th  Ann. 

Rep't  Sec.  Conn.  State  Board  Agric,  for  1880,  1881,  pp. 

83-97. 
Note  on  Mechanical  Soil  Analysis.    Ann.  Rep't  Conn.  Agric. 

Exper.  Sta.,  for  1886,  1887,  p.  140. 
The  Value  of  Fish  Fertilizers.    Country  Gentleman,  1887,  vol. 

52,  p.  759. 
The  Sources  of  Phosphoric  Acid.     Ibid.,  p.  923. 
Work  of  the  Experiment  Station.    22d  Ann.  Rep 't  Sec.  Conn. 

State  Board  Agric,  for  1888,  1889,  pp.  116-133. 
Recent   Investigations  as  to  the   Agricultural  Relations  of 

Nitrogen.     25th    Ann.    Rep't   Sec.    Conn.    State   Board 

Agric,  for  1891,  1892,  pp.  205-219. 

Official  Reports. 

First  Annual  Report  as  Chemist  to  Conn.  State  Agricultural 
Society.  Trans.  Conn.  State  Agric.  Soc,  for  1857,  1858, 
pp.  39-94.  2d  ed.  Trans.  Conn.  State  Agric.  Soc,  for 
1858,  1859,  pp.  35-88. 

Second  Annual  Report  as  Chemist  to  the  Conn.  State  Agri- 
cultural Society.  Trans.  Conn.  State  Agric.  Soc,  for 
1858,  1859,  pp.  89-204. 

Third  Annual  Report  as  Chemist  to  Conn.  State  Agricultural 
Society.  Trans.  Conn.  State  Agric.  Soc,  for  1859,  1860, 
pp.  31-67. 


280  APPENDICES 

Report  of  Chemist  to  Conn.  State  Board  of  Agriculture.    6th 
Ann.  Rep't  Sec.   Conn.   State  Board  Agric,  for  1872, 

1873,  pp.  384-424. 

Report  of  Chemist  to  Conn.  State  Board  of  Agriculture.    7th 
Ann.  Rep't  Sec.   Conn.   State  Board  Agric,  for  1873, 

1874,  pp.  346-367. 

Report  of  Director.    Ann.  Rep 't  Conn.  Agric.  Exper.  Sta.,  for 
the  years  1877  to  1900,  inclusive. 


SUPERPHOSPHATE  OF  LIME 

[First  printed  in  the  Country  Gentleman  in  March,  1853.] 

This  manure,  suggested  by  Baron  Liebig  about  ten  years 
since,  has  come  into  very  extensive  use  in  England,  and,  from 
present  indications,  will  soon  figure  very  largely  in  American 
husbandry.  It  is  unnecessary  here  to  allude  to  the  success 
that  has  attended  its  application,  as  agricultural  readers  well 
know. 

The  enterprising  farmer  who  proposes  to  himself  its  use, 
naturally  inquires  whether  it  is  cheaper  to  manufacture  it  on 
his  own  premises,  or  to  purchase  it. 

To  assist  in  answering  this  question,  I  shall  give  the  results 

of  analyses  of  two  articles  now  in  market,  namely:  "M 's" 

and"D 's." 

It  will  be  best  to  examine  to  some  extent  the  chemistry  of 
the  subject,  in  order  to  understand  what  constitutes  the  value 
of  Superphosphate  of  Lime. 

There  are  two  compounds  of  lime  and  phosphoric  acid, 
which  are  of  agricultural  interest,  viz.,  the  neutral  phosphate, 
which  we  shall  call  simply  phosphate;  and  the  super-phos- 
phate. The  first,  when  pure,  contains  in  100  parts — Phos- 
phoric acid,  48^/2;  Lime,  511/2- 

It  is  the  chief  earthy  ingredient  of  bones,  and  that  to  which 
they  mainly  owe  their  eflficacy  as  a  manure.  It  is  well  known, 
that  although  bones  are  highly  useful  when  applied  to  the 
soil  in  an  unbroken  state,  they  become  far  more  valuable  if 
reduced  to  small  fragments,  or  better  still  if  ground  to  dust. 
This  is  because  nothing  can  enter  the  plant  in  a  solid  form. 
All  that  a  crop  absorbs  through  its  roots,  must  be  dissolved 
in  water.  The  phosphate  of  lime,  as  it  occurs  in  bones,  is 
only  very  slightly  soluble  in  water,  and  is  of  course  very 
slowly  presented  to  the  plant.    The  more  finely  it  is  divided. 


282  APPENDICES 

or  pulverized,  the  more  surface  it  exposes  to  the  action  of 
water,  and  the  more  rapidly  it  dissolves.  By  grinding,  it  is 
only  possible  to  reduce  the  bones  to  a  gritty  dust,  fine  perhaps 
to  the  eye,  but  still  coarse  when  seen  under  the  microscope. 
Chemistry  furnishes  a  cheap  means  of  extending  the  sub- 
division to  a  very  great  degree. 

And  this  brings  us  to  the  superphosphate.  This  compound 
consists,  in  100  parts,  of — Phosphoric  acid,  711/^ ;  Lime,  28^. 

As  prepared  for  agricultural  purposes,  it  is  largely  mixed 
with  other  substances,  as  the  analyses  show.  Unlike  the  phos- 
phate, it  dissolves  easily  in  water.  It  differs  in  composition, 
from  the  phosphate,  only  in  the  proportion  of  its  ingredients. 
If  we  add  a  certain  amount  of  phosphoric  acid  to  the  phos- 
phate, we  shall  obtain  the  superphosphate.  It  may  also  be 
procured  by  taking  away  lime  from  the  phosphate.  In  prac- 
tice, we  do  the  latter.  If  we  add  to  bones,  one-third  their 
weight  of  sulphuric  acid  (oil  of  vitriol),  a  portion  of  lime 
quits  the  phosphoric  acid  and  unites  with  sulphuric  acid, 
forming  sulphate  of  lime  (gypsum)  ;  while  the  phosphoric 
acid,  thus  set  free,  combines  with  the  undecomposed  phos- 
phate, forming  superphosphate. 

Let  the  reader  add  a  tea-spoonful  of  superphosphate  to  a 
tumbler  half  full  of  water,  and  after  a  little  stirring,  allow  it 
to  settle,  and  pour  off  the  clear  liquid  into  another  tumbler. 
(If  no  superphosphate  is  at  hand,  use  instead  of  the  liquid 
just  mentioned,  strong  vinegar  in  which  some  pieces  of  bone 
have  stood  for  a  few  days.)  Then  prepare  a  solution  of 
saleratus,  or  soda,  in  water,  and  pour  it  gradually  into  the 
first  liquid.  Presently  a  white  cloud,  or  precipitate,  as  chem- 
ists call  it,  will  be  formed;  at  the  same  time  the  liquid  will 
foam  like  soda-water,  from  the  escape  of  carbonic  acid  gas. 

This  white  cloud  is  precipitated  phosphate  of  lime,  and  is 
the  same  as  bone-earth  phosphate  except  that  it  is  inconceiv- 
ably finer  than  can  be  obtained  by  any  mechanical  means. 
The  particles  of  bone-dust  will  not  certainly  average  smaller 
than  1-1000  of  an  inch,  while  those  of  this  precipitated  phos- 


SUPERPHOSPHATE  OF  LIME  283 

phate  are  no  more  than  the  1-20,000  of  an  inch  in  diameter, 
as  I  have  just  been  informed  by  a  friend  skilled  in  the  micro- 
scope, who  has  measured  them  at  my  request.  Since  the 
particles  of  the  precipitated  phosphate  are  so  very  much 
smaller  than  those  of  the  finest  bone-dust,  we  can  understand 
that  their  action  as  a  manure  is  correspondingly  more  rapid. 

In  fact,  the  application  of  superphosphate  to  the  soil  is 
always  speedily  followed  by  the  formation  of  precipitated 
phosphate;  the  iron,  Ume,  potash,  etc.,  of  the  soil,  having  the 
same  effect  as  that  produced  by  the  saleratus  or  ^oda,  in  the 
experiment  just  described. 

The  use  of  dissolving  bones  in  sulphuric  acid  is,  then,  not 
to  furnish  the  plant  with  a  new  food,  but  to  present  an  old 
dish  in  a  new  shape,  more  readily  accessible  to  the  plant. 

In  addition  to  the  advantage  of  subdivision  thus  presented. 
Prof.  Way,  of  the  Royal  Ag.  Society  of  England,  insists  upon 
another,  viz.,  distribution.  This  may  be  illustrated  as  follows : 
If  a  quantity  of  bones  be  acted  upon  by  sulphuric  acid,  thus 
forming  superphosphate — and  if  a  part  of  this  have  chalk, 
lime,  or  ashes  mixed  with  it  before  use,  while  the  other  por- 
tion is  directly  applied,  in  both  cases  precipitated  phosphate 
will  be  furnished  to  the  soil.  The  subdivision  will  be  equal, 
but  the  distribution  will  be  unlike.  In  the  first  case,  the  ready 
formed  phosphate  is  imperfectly  mixed  with  the  soil,  by  the 
rough  mechanical  operations  of  cultivation.  In  the  last  in- 
stance, if  the  superphosphate  is  scattered  on  the  surface,  it 
is  unaffected  until  a  rain  falls  upon  it.  Then  the  superphos- 
phate dissolves,  and  trickles  or  soaks  down  into  the  soil,  meet- 
ing here  with  a  particle  of  lime  or  potash,  and  depositing  a 
particle  of  phosphate,  traveling  on  a  little  way  and  depositing 
another,  and  so  filling  the  whole  soil  with  the  precious 
fertilizer. 

It  seems  then,  that  it  is  important  not  only  that  the  super- 
phosphate be  made,  but  that  it  remain  as  such  until  strown 
on  the  soil. 

The  reader's  attention  is  now  directed  to  the  analyses  of 


284 


APPENDICES 


several  samples  of  superphosphate.     No.  1  is  a  mean  of  the 
analysis  of  four  superior  English  samples.     No.  2,  analysis 

of  "M 's."    No.  3,  "D 's"  (mean  of  two  according 

analyses),  and  No.  4,  mean  of  five  average  English  samples. 
Nos.  1  and  4  by  Prof.  Way,  Nos.  2  and  3  by  myself. 

No.  2  is  an  authentic  sample  furnished  me  by  Mr.  Hoyt,  of 
New  Canaan,  Conn.  No.  3  I  procured  at  the  New  Haven 
Agricultural  Store. 


Moisture  ..... 

Organic  matter  and  Salts  of  Ammonia 
Soluble  Superphosphate  of  Lime 
Insoluble  Phosphate    . 
Sand  .... 

Sulphate  of  Lime   (gypsum) 
Free  Sulphuric  Acid  . 
Magnesia,  Soda,  and  undetermined  sub 
stances         .  .  .  .  , 


Ammonia  yielded  by  the  dry  matter     . 

Precipitated  phosphate  yielded  by  the 
superphosphate     .... 

Total  amount  of  phosphate  after  mix- 
ture with  the  soil 


No.  1 

No.  2 

No.  3 

No.  4 

8.04 

4.54 

6.18 

5.67 

18.01 

15.80 

9.20 

5.71 

14.80 

14.89 

8.34 

9.99 

10.91 

20.98 

29.63 

9.94 

6.12 

1.48 

8.83 

6.24 

36.02 

36.93 

31.72 

5.06 

5.71 

42.44 

.32 


.39 


100.00  100.00  100.00  100.00 

3.07  2.74  1.39  1.32 

21.80  21.95  12.28  14.72 

32.71  42.93  41.91  24.66 


Bearing  in  mind  that  the  value  of  this  manure  almost 
entirely  depends  on  its  superphosphates  and  its  ammonia,  it 

will  be  seen  that  **M 's"  is  in  no  respect  inferior  to  the 

best  English  samples,  while  it  contains  in  addition  10  per  cent 
of  insoluble  phosphate  of  lime,  that  will  be  permanently 
valuable  after  the  first  effect  is  over. 

"D 's, "  according  to  my  analysis,  (which  I  have  per- 
fect confidence  in,  all  the  important  substances  being  twice 
determined,)  is  six  per  cent  behind  M 's  in  superphos- 
phate, and  has  but  about  half  the  ammonia.  The  amount  of 
precipitated  phosphate  which  will  be  produced  when  these 


SUPERPHOSPHATE  OF  LIME  285 

manures  are  mixed  with  the  soil  is  represented  in  the  last 

line — nearly  22  per  cent  in  M 's,  and  12.3  per  cent  in 

D 's.  It  should  be  observed  that  the  total  amount  of  phos- 
phate is  very  nearly  alike  in  M 's  and  D 's.     This  is 

obtained  by  adding  the  insoluble  phosphate  to  the  precipitated 

phosphate.     D 's  is  therefore  equal  to  M 's  in  final 

effect,  so  far  as  phosphates  are  concerned,  yet  it  is  quite 
inferior  in  immediate  value,  and  should  be  afforded  at  a  less 
price,  or  else  more  carefully  made,  so  as  to  raise  the  amount 
of  superphosphate. 

D 's  compares  well  with  English  average  specimens  of 

No.  4. 

These  are  both  valuable  manures,  and  undoubtedly  M 's 

is  cheap  enough  at  the  present  price,  $50  per  ton,  if  its  quality 
is  maintained  as  good  as  my  analysis  represents.  Still  we  may 
hope  that  as  good  an  article  may  be  purchased,  before  many 
years,  at  a  much  less  price.  This  can  not  be  expected  until 
the  consumption  is  greatly  increased,  and  more  competition 
arises  among  manufacturers. 

It  is  proper  to  state  that  I  have  no  connection  with  the 
parties  concerned  in  the  manufacture  or  sale  of  these  manures ; 
and  receive  no  compensation  for  the  months'  labor  expended 
upon  the  analyses,  except  the  satisfaction  of  contributing  to 
the  advantage  of  purchasers. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  value  of  these  manures 
may  be  found  to  vary  greatly  at  different  times,  and  the 
farmer  can  only  be  fully  protected  from  unprofitable  expendi- 
ture, by  the  frequent  publication  of  analyses  made  upon 
different  samples. 


INDEX 


Adams  fund,  206. 

Agricultural  chemists,  convention 
of,  221,  222. 

Agricultural  College,  Penn.  State, 
140,  142,  143,  144. 

Agricultural  College,  Storrs,  247. 

Agricultural  Colleges  and  Experi- 
ment Stations,  meeting  of  Asso- 
ciation of,  258. 

Agricultural  committee  of  Con- 
gress, letter   to,   255. 

Agricultural  experiment  station, 
see  Experiment  Station. 

Agricultural  Society,  Conn.  State, 
104-107,  111-116,  118-120,  121, 
125,  126,  129,  134,  162,  163,  245; 
"Frauds  in  Commercial  Man- 
ures," address  before,  112;  let- 
ter to,  118;  2d  report  to,  121. 

Agricultural  Society,  N.  Y.  State, 
75,  77,  80,  81,  83,  94-97,  103; 
"Science  and  Agriculture,"  ad- 
dress before,  97;  letter  to,  226. 

Albany,  normal  school  at,  30,  32, 
33. 

"Albany,  University  of,"  31,  34, 
80,  95,  96,  102. 

Allen,  O.  D.,  164,  175. 

* '  American  Guano, ' '  a  discussion 
of  practical  vs.  scientific  expe- 
rience, 122-125. 

"Analyses  of  Limestone,"  his  first 
plea  for  scientific  agricultural 
education,  15. 

Armsby,  H.  P.,  202,  219,  222,  235. 

Association  Agricultural  Colleges 
and  Experiment  Stations,  meet- 
ing of,  258. 

Association,  the  American,  for  Ad- 
vancement of  Science,  meeting 
of,  33,  179,  221. 


Association,  the  American,  for  Pro- 
motion of  Agricultural  Science, 
251. 

Atherton,  G.  W.,  letter  of,  233. 

Atwater,  W.  O.,  163,  180,  191,  192, 
203,  222,  236,  237. 

Barnard,  J.  B.,  76,  79,  90. 

Board  of  Agriculture,  Conn.,  162, 
163,  167,  170,  171,  177,  192-200, 
213,  245;  report-  on  "Ash  of 
Tobacco,"  170,  206,  207;  com- 
mittee on  experiment  station, 
195-200. 

Board  of  Agriculture,  Maine,  138, 
170. 

Board  of  Agriculture,  Mass.,  meet- 
ing of,  138. 

Board  of  Agriculture,  Mich.,  170. 

Board  of  Agriculture,  Vermont, 
197. 

Brewer,  W.  H.,  35,  83,  135,  202, 
216,  230,  238;  letter  of,  136. 

Britton,  W.  E.,  208,  249. 

Brush,  G.  J.,  35,  60,  72,  89,  91, 
145,  147,  183;  letters  of,  90,  92, 
93. 

Bunsen,  R.  W.,  laboratory  of,  75. 

Bussey  Institution  of  Harvard  Uni- 
versity, 145,  218. 

Caldwell,  G.  C,  222;  letter  of,  152. 

Carnegie  Institution  of  Washing- 
ton, 206. 

Carr,  E.  S.,  95 ;  letters  of,  95,  96. 

Chittenden,  R.  H.,  254. 

Clark,  W.  S.,  165;  letters  of,  165, 
166. 

Collier,  Peter,  180,  197;  letters  of, 
180,  190,  197,  238. 

Convention,  Yale  agricultural,  132; 
National    agricultural,    165;    of 


288 


INDEX 


agricultural  chemists,  221,  222; 
of  experiment  station  chemists  at 
Atlanta,  230;  of  experiment  sta- 
tions and  agricultural  colleges  at 
Washington,  233,  237. 

Cook,  G.  H.,  224;  letters  of,  164, 
233. 

Cooke,  J.  P.,  237. 

Crandell,  A.  B.,  letters  of,  166,  172. 

Craw,  W.  J.,  letters  of,  35. 

Dana,  J.  D.,  90,  93. 

Diary  kept  in  Leipsic,  40-46,  47,  49, 
50,  58-60. 

Dyer,  H.  A.,  95,  104,  111,  126;  let- 
ter of.  111;  comment  of,  119. 

Easton,  J.  C,  39,  47,  50,  66,  68, 
69,  75,  128,  156,  157,  159;  letters 
of,  50,  63,  70,  94. 

Eaton,  John,  165. 

Eliot,  C.  W.,  147,  148,  149,  190; 
letter  of,  149. 

Elwyn,  A.  L.,  140,  141,  143. 

Erdmann,  O.  L.,  38,  42,  43,  44,  45, 
47,  49,  143. 

Experience,  practical  vs.  scientific, 
122. 

Experiment  Station,  Conn.  Agricul- 
tural, 149,  170,  171,  175,  180, 
190,  257,  258,  263,  264;  estab- 
lishment of,  192-213 ;  early  con- 
ditions of,  203,  204;  origin  of 
standards,  203;  bulletin,  204; 
his  letters  as  director,  213,  214, 
216-218,  221-224,  226-231,  235, 
236,  244-250,  253-256. 

Experiment  Station,  Storrs  Agri- 
cultural, 246,  247, 

Experiment  Station  at  Moeckern, 
84. 

Experiment  Station,  convention  of 
chemists  at  Atlanta,  230, 


Experiment  Stations  and  Agricul- 
tural Colleges,  convention  at 
Washington,  233,  237. 

Farlow,  W.  G.,  216,  217. 

Fertilizer  control,  200. 

Fertilizer  laws  of  Conn.,  223,  227, 
229,  231,  245. 

Fisher,  D.,  178. 

"Fixing  Ammonia,"  his  first  plea 
for  science  in  agricultural  prac- 
tice, 10. 

Flint,  C.  L.,  72. 

Flushing  Institute,  12,  27. 

Frankland,  Sir  E.,  77,  89. 

' '  Frauds  in  Commercial  Manures, ' ' 
112-116. 

Frear,  William,  252. 

Furness,  W.  H.,  72,  74. 

Giglioli,  Italo,  178,  188,  189;  letter 
of,  178. 

GUbert,  Sir  J.  H.,  Eothamsted 
experiments,  142;  letter  of,  153. 

Gilman,  D.  C,  165. 

Goessmann,  C.  A.,  152,  223,  227. 

Gold,  S.  W.,  89,  126. 

Gold,  T.  S.,  89,  104,  165,  177,  213, 
245. 

Goodale,  S.  A.,  138,  152,  165;  let- 
ters of,  139,  170,  212. 

"Guano  of  the  South  Pacific," 
117-118. 

Harris,  Joseph,  72,  111,  112,  138; 

letter  of.  111. 
Hatch  act,  205,  206,  236, 
Heintz,   Prof.,   visit  to   laboratory 

of,  at  Halle,  59. 
Hilgard,  E.  W,,  231,  252;   letters 

of,  225,  241, 
Hohenheim,  agricultural  school,  73, 

75,  87,  144, 


INDEX 


289 


Horsford,  E.  N.,  20,  29,  33. 
Hough,   F.   B.,   historical   address, 
262. 

Jenkins,  E.  H.,  202,  207,  213,  219, 
221,  222,  230,  248,  257;  letters 
of,  171,  213. 

Johnson,  A.  A.,  7,  9;  letters  of,  28, 
46,  51,  63,  64,  68,  74,  77,  81,  127, 
128,  130,  156,  158,  159. 

Johnson,  S.  W.,  family  and  early 
life,  1-12;  school  dr^j-s  at  Low- 
.  ville,  8,  9;  entry  in  first  chemical 
text-book,  9;  teaches  at  Flush- 
i°K>  12;  goes  to  New  Haven  and 
enters  Yale  Analytical  Labora- 
tory, 22;  teaches  in  normal 
school  at  Albany,  33;  returns  to 
Yale  Analytical  Laboratory,  36; 
sails  for  Europe,  38;  settles  in 
Leipsic  and  enters  Erdmann  's 
laboratory,  42;  matriculates  in 
University,  45;  Munich,  enters 
Liebig's  laboratory,  60;  Man- 
chester, studies  with  Frankland, 
77;  becomes  regular  contributor 
to  Country  Gentleman,  80;  con- 
troversy aroused  by  *  *  Sulphate 
of  Lime,"  81;  first  assistant  in 
Yale  Analytical  Laboratory,  92; 
considers  position  at  Albany,  95 ; 
writes  for  Homestead,  104;  ad- 
dresses Conn.  Agricultural  Soci- 
ety, * '  Frauds  in  Commercial 
Manures,"  112;  elected  chemist 
to  Conn.  Agric.  Society,  116;  lec- 
tures, Smithsonian  Institution, 
120;  appointed  professor  analyti- 
cal and  agricultural  chemistry, 
Yale  Scientific  School,  125;  lec- 
tures before  farmers '  clubs,  126 ; 
attends  semi-centennial,  Lowville 
Academy,  129;  marries,  130;  lec- 
tures,  Yale  agricultural  conven- 


tion, 132;  investigates  nutrition 
of  plants,  134;  writes  on  soil- 
analyses  of  geological  surveys, 
135;  lectures,  Mass.  Board  of 
Agriculture,  138 ;  ' '  Peat  and  Its 
Uses, "  "  How  Crops  Grow, ' ' 
"How  Crops  Feed,"  150; 
elected  to  National  Academy  of 
Sciences,  160;  active  in  organiz- 
ing Conn.  State  Board  of  Agri- 
culture, 163;  resumes  analysis 
and  estimation  of  values  of  ferti- 
lizers, 163;  delegate  to  National 
agricultural  convention,  165; 
writes  on  agricultural  chemistry 
for  Tribune,  166;  soil  exhaustion 
and  rotation  of  crops,  168-170; 
ash  of  tobacco,  170;  chairman 
sub-section  of  chemistry,  A.  A. 
A.  S.,  179;  visits  Europe,  179- 
190;  chairman  committee  on 
establishing  experiment  station. 
Conn.  Board  of  Agriculture,  196; 
calls  first  meeting  of  Board  of 
Control  of  Conn.  Agric.  Experi- 
ment Station,  202;  director 
Conn.  Station,  202;  develops 
policies  and  methods  of  Conn. 
Station,  202-205;  extends  re- 
search work  under  Hatch  act, 
205-208;  prepares  "  I»ure  Food 
Law"  passed  by  Conn,  legisla- 
ture, 208;  new  edition,  "How 
Crops  Grow,"  237;  emeritus, 
257-266. 

Johnson,  Mrs.  S.  W.,  letter  of,  161. 

Judd,  Orange,  198,  200. 

von  Kobell,  Franz,  60,  72,  73. 

Lawes,  Sir  J.  B.,  72,  102,  141,  168; 
Rothamsted  experiments,  72,  141, 
142,    168,    171;    endowment    of 


290 


INDEX 


laboratory  and  fields,   169;   let- 
ters of,  152,  168,  171,  242. 
Le  Eay  de  Chaumont,  J.  D.,  52,  94, 
Le  Eay  de  Chaumont,  Vincent,  52, 

53,  61,  65,  72,  74. 
Letters — to  friends  at  home,  12; 
to  his  father,  14,  17,  20,  22,  26, 
27,  29,  30,  32,  36,  39,  48,  53,  60, 
61,  65,  66,  71,  76,  78,  126,  129, 
136,  155,  156,  157,  159;  to  sister 
Esther,  18;  to  sister  Sarah,  26, 
38,  75 ;  to  his  mother,  54,  92,  126, 
127,  156;  to  sister  Elizabeth,  56, 
127,  160;  to  J.  C.  Easton,  75;  to 
his  wife,  164,  165,  181-189,  261, 
265;  to  fertilizer  agent,  109;  to 
Conn.  Agric.  Society,  121 ;  to  G.  J. 
Brush,  130;  to  J.  E.  Sheffield, 
133;  to  F.  H.  Storer,  145,174,218, 
232,  235,  236,  238,  242,  245,  251, 
252;  to  J.  O.,  214;  to  L.,  214;  to 
J.  B.  O.,  216;  to  W.  G.  F.,  216; 
to  P.  M.  A.,  216;  to  ^.  E.  P., 
217;  to  G.  T.,  217;  to  J.  T.  H., 
221;  to  G.  C.  Caldwell,  222;  to 
G.  H.  Cook,  222,  226 ;  to  C.  L.  D., 
223;  to  N.  M.  C,  224;  to  C.  A. 
Goessmann,  224;  to  N.  Y.  State 
Agrie.  Society,  226;  to  H.  S., 
227;  to  J.  W.  A.,  227,  229;  to 
C.  W.  Dabney,  Jr.,  228;  to  J.  J. 
W.,  230;  to  E.  B.  W.,  230;  to 
A.  D.  G.,  231;  to  U.  S.  Commis- 
sioner of  Agric,  235;  to  S.  P., 
244;  to  A.  S.  C,  245;  to  J.  G.  S., 
246-247;  to  W.  E.  Britton,  248, 
255;  to  E.  H.  Jenkins,  248-250; 
to  F.  W.  F,,  253;  to  agric.  com- 
mittee of  Congress,  255;  to  a 
niece,  257 ;  to  a  grandniece,  258 ; 
to  LowvUle  Academy,  262;  to 
F.  L.  E.,  265. 


von  Liebig,  Hermann,  letters  of, 
153-155. 

von  Liebig,  Justus,  14,  16,  26,  49, 
58,  60,  61,  66,  68,  72,  73,  75,  76, 
82,  92,  94,  102,  141,  183,  194, 
264;  letter  of,  58;  his  method  of 
teaching,  194. 

Loring,  G.  B.,  138;  letter  of,  138. 

Lowville  Academy,  8,  9,  263;  pro- 
posed school  of  agricultural 
science  in  connection  with,  66, 
69,  70,  83;  semi-centennial  cele- 
bration of,  130,  262;  centennial 
celebration  of,  letter  to,  262. 

Martin,  S.,  242,  243. 
Mayhew,  D.  P.,  10,  263. 
Mitchell,  D.  G.,  33. 
Mixter,  W.  G.,  175,  177. 
Moeckem,  agric.  expt.  station  at, 

84. 
Morrm  Bill,  132,  137,  166. 
Muspratt,  E.  K.,  72,  183. 
Muspratt,  James,  183. 

National  Academy  of  Sciences,  160. 
National    agricultural    convention, 

165. 
Neale,  A.  T.,  222. 
Necessity  of  experiment  station  in 

Conn.,  193. 
Neumann's   lecture    on    snow   and 

rain,  45. 
Norton,  Edward,  39. 
Norton,  J.   P.,  22,  23,  24,  25,  26, 

29,   30,   32,   33,   34,   35,   39,   89, 

203. 
Norton,  J.  T.,  39. 
Norton,  W.  A.,  179,  243,  244. 

Olcott,  J.  B.,  244. 
Origin  of  standards  of  Conn.  Sta- 
tion, 203. 
Osborne,  T.  B.,  206,  242. 


INDEX 


291 


von  Pettenkofer,  M.,  60. 

Plants,  practical  value  of  analysee 

of,  86. 
Porter,  C.  H.,  91. 
Porter,  J.  A.,  36,  81,  91,  110,  125, 

126,  132,  133. 
Porter,  Noah,  39,  59. 
Practical  vs.  scientific  experience, 

122-125. 
Pratt,  J.  T.,  129. 
Pugh,   Evan,   50,   58,   59,    88,   94, 

134,  139-144;  letters  of,  88,  135, 

140,  141,  143,  144, 
Pure  food  law,  208. 

Banunelsberg 's  laboratory,  visit  to, 

59. 
Besearch  workers,  a  plea  for  the 

training  of,  117-118. 
Rood,  O.  D.,  60,  72,  92. 
Bose,  Gustav,  lecture  of,  59. 
Bose,  Heinrich,  lecture  of,  59. 
Bothamsted,  experiments  of  Lawes 

and   Gilbert,   72,   141,   142,   168, 

171;  laboratory,  141,  169. 

"Science  and  Agriculture,"  a 
plea  for  establishment  of  an 
experiment  station  in  State  of 
New  York,  97-102. 

' '  Science  as  a  means  of  Agricul- 
tural Progress,"  a  plea  for  es- 
tablishment of  experiment  sta- 
tions in  America,  210. 

Scientific  principles,  a  plea  for  the 
application  of,  to  agricultural 
problems,  194-195. 

Scovell,  M.  A.,  252. 

Sheffield,  J.  E.,  133,  136;  letter  to, 
133. 

Sheffield  Scientific  School,  134,  136, 
137,  162,  175,  177,  196,  205,  209, 
210,  246,  247. 

Shepard,  C.  U.,  Jr.,  222. 


Silliman,  B.,  24,  28,  43. 

SUliman,  B.,  Jr.,  23,  24,  25,  26,  72, 

90,  93,  110;  memoir  of,  25;  let- 
ter of,  90. 
Smithsonian     Institution,    lectures 

at,   120. 
Soils,  practical  value  of  analyses 

of,  85. 
Stoeckhardt,  J.  A.,  107,  108,  143; 

letter  of,  215. 
Storer,  F.  H,,  144,  222,  264;  letters 

of,  146-148,  172,  173,  174,  177, 

190,  212,  215,  219-221,  234-241, 

243,  251,  252. 
Storrs,  Cordial,  22,  71. 
Storrs     Agricultural     Experiment 

Station,  246,  247. 
Storrs  College  of  Agriculture,  247. 
"Superphosphate  of  Lime,"  281- 

285;  controversy  aroused  by,  81, 

82. 

Thacher,  T.  A.,  29. 

Tharandt,  107,  144. 

Thaxter,  Roland,  206. 

Tribune,  correspondence,  166,  167, 
172178,  219. 

Tucker,  Luther,  32,  33,  69,  72,  77, 
80,  81,  94,  95,  96,  103,  138;  let- 
ters of,  82-84,  97,  103,  116. 

Tucker,  L.  H.,  212. 

U.  S.  Commissioner  of  Agriculture, 

draft  of  letter  to,  235. 
"University  of  Albany,"  31,  34, 

80,  95,  96,  102. 
Uricoechea,    Ezequiel,   27,   28,   42, 

43,  44,  186,  187;  letter  of,  185. 

Voelcker,  J.  A.,  143,  144. 

Waring,  J.  J.,  49,  50,  59,  60,  65. 
Watts,  Frederick,  143,  165;  letter 
of,  169. 


292 


INDEX 


Way,  J.  T.,  40,  283,  284. 

Webb,  J.  J.,  202. 

Weld,  M.  C,  39,  40,  41,  43,  44,  45, 
46,  47,  48,  58,  60,  72,  104,  111. 

Woehler,  Friedrich,  42,  264. 

Wolff,  Emil,  87,  140. 

Writings,  extracts  from — "Fixing 
Ammonia, ' '  his  first  plea  for  sci- 
ence in  agricultural  practice,  10; 
"Analyses  of  Limestone,"  his 
first  plea  for  scientific  agricul- 
tural education,  15;  "Super- 
phosphate of  Lime,"  see  under 
title;  "Diary,"  40,  47,  49,  50, 
58 ;  "  Agricultural  Experiment 
Station  at  Moeckern,"  84; 
' '  Practical  Value  of  Analyses 
of  Plants,"  86;  "Agricultural 
School  at  Hohenheim,"  87; 
"Science    and    Agriculture,"    a 

•  plea  for  establishment  of  an 
experiment  station  in  New  York 
State,  97;  "Frauds  in  Commer- 
cial Manures,"  112;  "Guano  of 
the  South  Pacific,"  (introduc- 
tory note  to),  a  plea  for  training 
of  research  workers,  117;  "Ee- 
port  to  Conn.  Agric.   Society," 


118;  "American  Guano,"  a  dis- 
cussion of  practical  vs.  scientific 
experience,  122-125;  "Agricul- 
tural Experiment  Stations  of 
Europe,"  necessity  of  experi- 
ment station  in  Conn.,  193; 
"Guiding  Ideas  in  the  use  of 
Fertilizers,"  a  plea  for  applica- 
tion of  scientific  principles  to  ag- 
ricultural problems,  194;  proper 
limitations  of  a  fertilizer  con- 
trol, 200;  origin  of  standards 
of  Conn.  Station,  203 ;  early  con- 
ditions of  Conn.  Station,  203, 
204;  bulletin  as  director,  his 
first  issued,  opp.  p.  204;  "Sci- 
ence as  a  means  of  Agricultural 
Progress,"  a  plea  for  establish- 
ment of  experiment  stations  in 
America,  210. 

Yale  agricultural  convention,  132. 
Yale    Analytical    Laboratory,    14, 

22-25,  27,  34-37. 
Yale  Scientific  School,  89-93,  103, 

125,  132,  133. 

Zenker,  Dr.,  44,  45,  47,  50,  56,  57. 


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